Scientists link ‘love hormone’ to blood pressure changes during hypoxia

Scientists believe that two brain-made chemicals, including love hormone, oxytocin, often play a crucial role in increasing blood pressure. This is after frequent periods of low oxygen levels.

They also hold the opinion that sleep deprivation is mostly associated with diseases, which are related to heart-related risks.

Now, a recent study has proved that brain chemicals play a vital role in this chain reaction which can also help with new therapies.

Scientists explore the brainstem’s role in blood pressure control via key neurohormones

Scientists have discovered two chemicals, which are brain-made, can affect blood pressure.  Among these oxytocin is famous for playing a vital role in affecting blood pressure, attachment and social bonding.

On the other hand, the other hormone Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) plays a crucial role with stress response, influences on behavior, and also plays a role in inflammation.

Published in in the Journal of Physiology , the study aimed at checking how these two neurohormones help influence the brainstem, which is a structure at the bottom of the brain affecting functions like controlling blood pressure. They believe that patients who have sleep deprivation tend to stop breathing, thus depriving the body of oxygen. This will put the body in a hypoxic, or a low oxygen state.

Dr. David Kline, a University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine professor who oversaw the study believed that when the body becomes low in oxygen, a state called hypoxia causes a reflex for us to want to increase our breathing that’s going to bring our oxygen level back.

“It also causes a reflex for our blood pressure to go up to get that oxygenated blood to go where it needs to go,” he told Live Science .

Study reveals brain chemicals’ impact on blood pressure in low oxygen conditions

It’s a well known fact that both oxytocin and CRH can help in altering blood pressure. Their unique qualities led researchers to conduct their experiments with lab rats. They split them into two groups – one included they being kept in normal oxygen levels, while the other one was kept in low-oxygen conditions.

They conducted the experiment for 10 days, and after that, the scientists collected samples of the rats’ brainstems. The scientists also wanted to analyze their neuron activity using different techniques.

It was discovered that both of these chemicals had a great effect on the brainstem activity of the hypoxic rats. This was when compared to rats kept under normal oxygen levels. It so happened that there was an increase in the release of chemicals from the PVN. They also found an increase in the number of receptors when it was plugged into the brainstem.

Based on these findings Kline discovered that there was an increase in the release of chemicals after the hypoxic episodes, and the blood pressure also went higher. They also revealed the zones in which the chemicals had an elevating effect.

“I think all this basic research is really going to take us to new avenues that can be picked up by the clinicians and the drug companies,” Kline said. However, he also advised that there’s still a long way to go to combine their findings into a therapeutic approach for human patients.