While the link between sale and hypertension is well known, until now scientists have not understood how exactly increased salt intake raises blood pressure. A team at McGill University, in Montreal, led by Professor Charles Bourque discovered that ingesting large amounts of dietary salt causes changes in our brain circuitry.

They included that over a diet of higher salt intake over a period of time in rats caused a biochemical change in the neurons that release vasopressin (VP) in the the systemic circulation. An overview of the research can be found here.