This area is active when laughing, exercising, or coughing, which stimulates the strong exhalation that produces these sounds.
But now, researchers in New Zealand say they have discovered that stimulating this area may also stimulate nerves that cause blood vessels to constrict, which may raise blood pressure, causing chronic hypertension.
The area adjacent to the face
According to the Daily Mail, in the laboratory, researchers from the University of Auckland activated and inhibited nerves in this area while monitoring blood pressure, and found that blood pressure rises when the area adjacent to the face is activated and decreases when it is inhibited.
Dr Julian Paton, a physiologist at the University of Auckland who led the research, said: “We have discovered a new area in the brain that causes high blood pressure. Yes, the brain is responsible for high blood pressure!”
He continued: “We discovered that in cases of high blood pressure, the lateral area next to the face is activated, and when our team disrupted the area, blood pressure dropped to normal levels.”
The study was conducted on mice, and researchers will need to find a way to test this area in humans to confirm their results.
It is not yet clear what percentage of cases of high blood pressure may be caused by this mechanism.
Previous research suggests that lifestyle factors, such as a high-salt diet, stress, obesity, and alcohol consumption, are all major factors in high blood pressure.
Brain signals
But a growing body of research suggests that the condition may be linked to the brain, which sends signals to the rest of the body to regulate heart rate and blood vessel size, and thus blood pressure.
The researchers said their findings could be used to help develop new treatments for high blood pressure that focus on calming the nerves in the brain that may be causing the condition.