The study, funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that intensively controlling a person’s blood pressure was 57% more effective at slowing the accumulation of white matter lesions than standard treatment of high blood pressure.
White matter lesions represent an increase in water content in the brain, and reflect a variety of changes within the brain. This includes the thinning of myelin, a fatty coating which projects axons from injury and speeds the flow of electrical signals, increased glial reactions to injury, leaky brain blood vessels or multiple strokes. These changes are all associated with high blood pressure.
