Brain-zapping gadget could lower blood pressure

A WALKMAN-LIKE gadget that clips on the ears and zaps the brain with electric pulses is twice as good at reducing blood pressure as medication, an expert believes.

Around 14 million people in the UK have high blood pressure. Research shows around 40 per cent do not take medication as instructed, leading scientists to look for other forms of control.

The device is attached to the ear and sends waves of electricity to the brain, targeting the vagus nerve, which controls many of the body’s subconscious processes, including heart rate, mood and blood pressure.

Prof Alexander Gourine, Professor of Physiology at UCL, said at the Cheltenham Science Festival that in a proof-ofconcept trial, half an hour a day of ear-tingling stimulation for a few weeks led to decreases in blood pressure.

Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It remains an experimental treatment. There isn’t enough evidence yet for it to be recommended as part of routine clinical practice.”