UCL Press Release: Heart failure treated 'in the brain'

25 March 2008

Beta-blockers heal the heart via the brain when administered during heart failure, according to a new study by UCL.

Up to now, it was thought that beta-blockers work directly on the heart, but the new study shows that the drugs may also act via the brain, suggesting that future therapies to treat cardiovascular disease could be targeting the central nervous system.