Researchers have discovered a small part of the brain that may be behind high blood pressure.
Where the Spot Is
The spot is called the lateral parafacial region. It sits in the brainstem, the oldest part of the brain that controls breathing, digestion, and heart rhythm.
"The lateral parafacial region helps us push air out when we laugh, exercise, or cough," explains Professor Julian Paton, lead scientist at the University of Auckland.
These forced breaths use strong belly muscles. Normal breaths happen automatically because the lungs are stretchy.
Breathing and Blood Pressure
The team found that this brain area is linked to nerves that tighten blood vessels, which raises blood pressure.
"We found a new brain region that can cause hypertension. When we turned it off, blood pressure fell back to normal," says Paton.
This suggests that breathing with a lot of belly muscle effort may push blood pressure higher. Spotting this breathing style in people with hypertension could help doctors choose better treatments.
A Possible New Target for Medicine
Can doctors treat this brain spot with drugs? Directly targeting the brain is hard because medicines affect the whole brain.
Fortunately, the researchers learned that the lateral parafacial region receives signals from the carotid bodies—tiny sensors in the neck that watch blood oxygen levels.
Carotid bodies can be reached safely with medication, offering a way to calm the brain spot without the drug having to enter the brain.
Such an approach might be especially useful for people with sleep apnea, where the carotid bodies become over‑active when breathing stops during sleep.