American researchers have found that tensing the abdominal muscles during movement, exercise, or coughing plays a key role in regulating cerebral blood flow, according to infohub.kz.
As News Medical reports, the conclusion was reached by specialists from Pennsylvania State University and Michigan State University. The results of their study, conducted on mice, were published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In experiments, the scientists discovered that contraction of the abdominal muscles raises pressure in blood vessels connected to the brain through the spine. This causes ultra-rapid narrowing of the major veins of the brain — the superior sagittal sinus and the bridging veins that drain into it. The narrowing occurs in just a tenth of a second, significantly faster than the arterial response.
Previously, veins were thought to be merely passive channels, with blood flow regulation depending exclusively on arteries and capillaries.
The authors, led by Qingguang Zhang and Patrick Drew, note that the anatomical structure of the vascular system in rodents and humans is identical. The discovery helps better understand why physical activity benefits brain health and why headaches and migraines can worsen with movement. The veins are located in the dura mater, where pain receptors respond to sudden pressure changes.