New Research Explores Mind-Body Connection
New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal provides evidence for the neural basis of a mind-body connection. Said findings are important as they shed new light on how stress, depression and other mental states can alter organ function, and show that there is a real anatomical basis for psychosomatic illness.
For the study, scientists at the University of Pittsburgh identified the neural networks that connect the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla, which is responsible for the body’s rapid response in stressful situations. In their experiments, they traced the neural circuitry that links areas of the cerebral cortex to the adrenal medulla - the inner part of the adrenal gland, which is located above each kidney.
Using a unique tracing method, the researchers demonstrated that the control of the adrenal medulla originates from multiple cortical areas. According to the new findings, the biggest influences arise from motor areas of the cerebral cortex and from other cortical areas involved in cognition and affect.
Another surprising finding was that the motor areas in the cerebral cortex involved in the planning and performance of movement, provide a substantial input to the adrenal medulla. This helps explain why core body exercises are so helpful in modulating responses to stress. Calming practices such as Pilates, yoga, tai chi and even dancing in a small space all require proper skeletal alignment, coordination and flexibility - the researchers note.
The study also found that the areas of the cortex that are active when an individual senses conflict, or is aware that they have made an error, are a source of influence over the adrenal medulla. "This observation," said Dr Strick, scientific director of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, "raises the possibility that activity in these cortical areas when you re-imagine an error, or beat yourself up over a mistake, or think about a traumatic event, results in descending signals that influence the adrenal medulla in just the same way as the actual event." These anatomical findings have relevance for therapies that deal with post-traumatic stress.
Source of this article:
Motor, cognitive, and affective areas of the cerebral cortex influence the adrenal medulla
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