A new study from scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine shows that high blood pressure may damage the brain much earlier than we thought—before any signs of high blood pressure even appear.
The study, published in the journal Neuron, found that important changes happen in brain cells and blood vessels just three days after hypertension begins in mice. These early changes might explain why people with high blood pressure are more likely to develop memory loss and diseases like Alzheimer’s later in life.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the biggest risk factors for heart disease and stroke. It also affects the brain. People with high blood pressure are about 1.2 to 1.5 times more likely to have cognitive problems than those with normal blood pressure. But until now, researchers didn’t fully understand why that happens.
Most blood pressure medicines can lower blood pressure, but they don’t seem to help with memory or thinking problems. This made scientists wonder if high blood pressure damages the brain in other ways.
Dr. Costantino Iadecola, the senior author of the study, said the team was surprised to find that brain damage started before blood pressure went up. That means something else may be happening that hurts the brain early on.
To learn more, the researchers gave mice a hormone called angiotensin, which raises blood pressure in a way similar to what happens in humans. They studied what happened to brain cells after three days and again after 42 days. After just three days, they saw major changes in the way certain brain cells worked, even though blood pressure had not yet increased.
The team used a high-tech method to look at individual brain cells. They found that several types of cells were affected very early. Cells lining the blood vessels, called endothelial cells, showed signs of aging and stress.
These cells also started to break down the blood-brain barrier, which normally protects the brain from harmful substances. When this barrier weakens, the brain becomes more vulnerable to damage.
Other affected cells were interneurons, which help balance brain activity. When these cells stop working properly, it can lead to brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. A third group of cells, called oligodendrocytes, also showed changes. These cells create the protective coating around nerve fibers called myelin. If this coating breaks down, nerves can’t send messages as well, which leads to memory and thinking problems.
By 42 days into the experiment, even more brain changes had taken place, and the mice began to show signs of cognitive decline.
The researchers also tested a blood pressure drug called losartan. This drug blocks the effects of angiotensin. In the study, losartan reversed many of the early changes in brain cells, especially in the blood vessel cells and interneurons. This gives hope that certain medications might not only lower blood pressure, but also protect the brain.
Dr. Iadecola explained that treating high blood pressure is already important for protecting the heart and kidneys, but it may also help protect the brain if done early enough.
His team is now trying to understand how high blood pressure speeds up the aging of tiny blood vessels in the brain and how this affects other important brain cells. Their goal is to find better ways to prevent or treat memory problems caused by high blood pressure.
This study helps explain why high blood pressure and brain health are connected. It shows that even before we see high numbers on a blood pressure monitor, harmful changes might already be happening inside the brain. Catching and treating high blood pressure early may be the key to protecting both the body and the mind.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that changing blood pressure readings is a hidden sign of heart disease and switching blood pressure drugs may treat the condition better.
For more health information, please read studies about the arm squeeze test: could your blood pressure reading be wrong and bedtime medication more effective for high blood pressure.
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