Associations between mental health, blood pressure and the development of hypertension

H. Lina Schaare (), Maria Blöchl, Deniz Kumral, Marie Uhlig, Lorenz Lemcke, Sofie L. Valk and Arno Villringer
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H. Lina Schaare: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Maria Blöchl: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Deniz Kumral: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Marie Uhlig: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Lorenz Lemcke: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Unit, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Sofie L. Valk: Otto-Hahn-Group Cognitive Neurogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Arno Villringer: Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

Nature Communications, 2023, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Multiple studies have reported a link between mental health and high blood pressure with mixed or even contradictory findings. Here, we resolve those contradictions and further dissect the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationship between mental health, systolic blood pressure, and hypertension using extensive psychological, medical and neuroimaging data from the UK Biobank. We show that higher systolic blood pressure is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, greater well-being, and lower emotion-related brain activity. Interestingly, impending hypertension is associated with poorer mental health years before HTN is diagnosed. In addition, a stronger baseline association between systolic blood pressure and better mental health was observed in individuals who develop hypertension until follow-up. Overall, our findings offer insights on the complex relationship between mental health, blood pressure, and hypertension, suggesting that—via baroreceptor mechanisms and reinforcement learning—the association of higher blood pressure with better mental health may ultimately contribute to the development of hypertension.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37579-6

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