High Stress-Related Blood Pressure May Be Predicted by Brain Activity
Brain activity caused by stressful stimuli might be associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, according to a new proof-of-concept study.1
The study included 310 community-dwelling adults, 153 of whom were women from 30 to 51 years of age who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging with concurrent blood pressure monitoring while completing a series of mental stress tests.
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All participants experienced elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure during the stress tests compared with their blood pressure measurements taken during the non-stress baseline period.
Using machine learning approaches, the researchers found a multivariate pattern of brain activity on the functional magnetic imaging of 206 participants included in a training sample. This pattern was able to reliably predict both systolic and diastolic blood pressure changes in response to stress in an independent subsample of 104 participants.
The brain areas with strong predictive associations to stress-related blood pressure increases included the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula, which are responsible for the processing of stressful stimuli and controlling the cardiovascular responses through the autonomic nervous system.
“This kind of work is proof-of-concept, but it does suggest that, in the future, brain imaging might be a useful tool to identify people who are at risk for heart disease or who might be more or less suited for different kinds of interventions, specifically those that might be aimed at reducing levels of stress,” the researchers concluded. “It’s the people who show the largest stress-related cardiovascular responses who are at the greatest risk for poor cardiovascular health and understanding the brain mechanisms for this may help to reduce their risk.”2
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
1) Gianaros PJ, Sheu LK, Uyar F, et al. A brain phenotype for stressor‐evoked blood pressure reactivity [published online August 23, 2017]. J Am Heart Assoc. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.117.006053.
2. Brain activity may be predictor of stress-related cardiovascular risk [press release]. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association; August 23, 2017. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/brain-activity-may-be-predictor-of-stress-related-cardiovascular-risk?preview=a076. Accessed August 24, 2017.