Scientists have found a link between abdominal muscles and brain function
Contracting the abdominal muscles during movement, exercise, and even coughing can quickly alter blood flow in the brain. This conclusion was reached by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, who found a link between the work of the abdominal muscles and the contraction of large veins inside the skull. About how body movement affects blood circulation in the brain, see the "Izvestia" article.
How abdominal muscles affect blood flow in the brain
The researchers studied the processes occurring in the body in mice. They found that the contraction of the abdominal muscles increases the pressure in the blood vessels connected to the brain through the spinal canal. The change in pressure, in turn, causes rapid contraction of large veins inside the skull and increases blood flow to the brain for a short time.
Scientists have linked changes in the veins to activation of the abdominal muscles that occur during normal movements. It's not just about physical exercise: the mechanical state of the body is constantly changing when walking, running, breathing, and coughing.
The work was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The authors note that the results indicate a previously poorly understood relationship between body movements and regulation of blood circulation in the brain.
Why do brain veins respond to movement?
Blood flow in the brain is regulated by three types of vessels — arteries, capillaries, and veins. Usually, the focus is on the arteries and capillaries, as there are muscles around them that can contract and control the flow of blood.
Patrick Drew, Professor of Biology, engineering and mechanics, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering at Penn State University and head of the research group
Arteries and capillaries are surrounded by muscles that can contract, controlling the volume of blood passing through them, and therefore they are usually considered the main regulators of blood flow.
The veins contain less muscle tissue, so the researchers did not expect to see such a rapid reaction. However, during the experiments, they recorded a contraction of the superior sagittal sinus, a large vein running along the upper part of the brain, as well as the bridging veins that flow into it.
At the same time, the reaction of the veins turned out to be much faster than the reaction of the arteries. The contraction of the arteries occurred within a second or several seconds, while the veins reacted in about one tenth of a second after the abdominal muscles worked.
Qingguan Zhang, the first author of the study, was an associate professor of engineering and mechanics at Penn State University at the time of the study.
We were surprised by how quickly and consistently the veins reacted to movement. The brain is often studied as if its blood circulation is regulated independently of the rest of the body. Our results show that the mechanical signals generated by the body can have immediate effects on blood circulation inside the skull.
How movement is related to brain function
The researchers believe that the results show that the blood circulation of the brain depends not only on the signals that arise directly inside it. Mechanical changes occurring in other parts of the body can also affect blood circulation inside the skull almost immediately.
Earlier, the same research group conducted another study published in Nature Neuroscience. The work has shown that abdominal muscle contraction can cause pressure changes in the body and slightly shift the brain. This helps the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain.
A new study adds to this data: scientists have established a direct link between the contraction of abdominal muscles and the regulation of blood flow in the brain and have shown that veins are actively involved in this process.
Qingguan Zhang
The brain may be protected inside the skull, but it is not isolated from the mechanical forces generated by the rest of the body.
Could this explain the increased headache
The veins discovered by the researchers are located in the dura mater, a membrane that surrounds and protects the brain. There are no pain receptors in the brain tissue itself, but they are present in the dura mater and, as the authors of the study note, may be associated with headaches and migraines.
Therefore, the mechanism that links movement, blood flow, and changes in the veins of the brain could potentially help explain why physical activity can affect headaches or migraines. However, the study itself does not establish such a causal relationship - scientists are talking about a possible explanation that requires further study.
Patrick Drew
We are interested in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control blood flow in our brain. Just as a good mechanic needs to understand how a car works in order to diagnose and fix an engine malfunction, we want to understand the blood flow in the brain so that in the future it will be easier to recognize problems and possibly develop treatments and medicines.
In addition, the experiment was conducted on mice. The researchers note that the corresponding physiological structures in mice and humans are very similar, and suggest that a link between abdominal muscle contraction, movement, and brain blood flow may exist in humans. But the experimental results have not yet been directly transferred to humans.
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