psychology

The mind and the body are intimately linked, but although more and more research is demonstrating that the mind plays a role in sickness and in health, little is understood about how a person’s mental health affects physical health. A Washington University team of investigators led by Ray E. Clouse, M.D, professor of medicine and psychiatry, and Patrick J. Lustman, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, hopes to change that by launching a new Center for Mind/Body Research that will focus specifically on ways that mental health affects heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other illnesses. New research has shown, for example, that although women are at a lower risk for heart attacks than men, the risk for women with diabetes and depression is virtually identical to what’s seen in men. The investigators believe that depression is the main cause of that increased risk, but they hope that by focusing more closely on mind/body interactions they will be able to understand more about the relationship between mental health and physical well being.

Image courtesy of Cindy LustigParts of the brain involved in a “resting network” show large differences between young adults, older adults, and people with Alzheimer’s disease.Researchers tracking the ebb and flow of cognitive function in the human brain have discovered surprising differences in the ability of younger and older adults to shut down a brain network normally active during periods of passive daydreaming. The differences, which are especially pronounced in people with dementia, may provide a clear and powerful new method for diagnosing individuals in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt UniversityThe “CEO” in your brain appears to be concerned more about the consequences of your actions than how hard they are to produce. That is the implication of a detailed study of the neuronal activity in a critical area of the brain, called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), published in the Oct. 3 issue of the journal Science. The finding is important because the ACC plays a key role in disorders such as schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder in humans, suggests Joshua Brown, study co-author and WUSTL research associate in psychology.

The center is an outpatient mental health clinic operated by the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences.