From Brain to Behavior: Hypertension's Modulation of Cognition and Affect

Abstract

Accumulating evidence from animal models and human studies of essential hypertension suggest that brain regulation of the vasculature is impacted by the disease. Human neuroimaging findings suggest that the brain may be an early target of the disease. This observation reinforces earlier research suggesting that psychological factors may be one of the many contributory factors to the initiation of the disease. Alternatively or in addition, initial blood pressure increases may impact cognitive and/or affective function. Evidence for an impact of blood pressure on the perception and experience of affect is reviewed vis-a-vis brain imaging findings suggesting that such involvement in hypertensive individuals is likely.

Hypoactivation of Reward Motivational System in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Hypertension Grade I-II

“…2). Psychometric indicators of examined patients such as increased anxiety and activated behavioral inhibition system are in good agreement with the data on the association of these factors with the risk of CHD and EH [10]. Lower concentrations of platelet 5-HT were also found in the patients.…”

“…Analysis of neurobiological mechanisms underlying the interactions in the brain-body-mind system and matching processing of emotional stimuli and peripheral manifestations of cardiovascular reactivity in CNS is a fundamental problem in neuroscience, essential for the development of brain-oriented strategies of risk stratifi cation, prevention, and treatment of essential hypertension (EH) [10]. One of the new approaches consists in assessment of the contribution of brain oscillatory systems controlling the common transfer functions of the brain including regulation of cardiovascular reactivity via selectively distributed neuronal delta-, theta-, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-networks.…”

“…The main objective of this study is to analyze oscillatory activity under conditions of activation two basic motivational systems, defensive motivational system and positive reinforcement system, in patients with newly diagnosed untreated EH grade I-II by the recall of personally meaningful emotional events. The choice of emotional activation model was determined by the fact that cardiovascular reactivity is one of the leading effectors of motivational mobilization, while the nature of obligatory hemodynamic adjustment to selected programs of adaptive behavior is dictated by the mechanisms of neurovisceral integration [10]. Another feature of the study is the use of symmetrical pattern of emotional activation, in which the positive reinforcement system was studied together with reactions of the defense system that have been a predominant focus of the works in cardiovascular and clinical psychophysiology.…”

“…Another feature of the study is the use of symmetrical pattern of emotional activation, in which the positive reinforcement system was studied together with reactions of the defense system that have been a predominant focus of the works in cardiovascular and clinical psychophysiology. Negative emotion of anger was selected as the target of the study because hostile temperament characterized by frequent episodes of anger associated with increased cardiovascular reactivity to cognitive-emotional stressors predicts negative circadian rhythm of BP, nocturnal non-dipping, and development of EH symptoms and outcomes [10]. In turn, analysis of the mechanisms of positive emotional activation during EH is a new and promising approach.…”

“…In turn, analysis of the mechanisms of positive emotional activation during EH is a new and promising approach. Although the data are sparse, studies indicate protective action of the positive affect on the cardiovascular system under the infl uence of acute and chronic stressors and, in case of its insuffi ciency, clinically unfavorable shifts in cardiovascular stress reactivity [3,9,10].…”