Growing evidence that the heart has a strong influence on thinking and feeling

The influence of the heart and circulatory system occurs within milliseconds, and every single heartbeat plays a role. The role of the heart in the psyche and cognition is evident in the high coincidence of cardiovascular diseases, such as high blood pressure and heart attack, and mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety disorders.

There are a number of explanations for this high coincidence, but none of them have been definitively proven yet. For example, negative psychological reactions to a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease are cited as a reason for the development of mental illness. On the other hand, an unhealthy lifestyle in the presence of mental illness is considered a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.

The concept is based on integrated brain–body states. Every physical process, such as a heartbeat or any change in blood pressure or metabolism, is automatically accompanied by a mental or psychological process. This means that the two are inextricably linked.

Different time scales

Brain–body states occur on different time scales, which are described as a dynamical system: short-lived brain-body states (known as “microstates”) correspond, for example, to emotions such as anger or joy. An example of longer-lasting brain-body states (known as “mesostates”) is acute or chronic stress. Mental and cardiovascular illnesses are reflected in long-term brain–body macrostates.

“Mental illnesses always have a cardiovascular component, which may not yet have clinical symptoms, and vice versa. The high coincidence of mental and cardiovascular illnesses could therefore be compared to the tip of the iceberg,” says Arno Villringer, Director of the Department of Neurology at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences and an author of the paper published in Trends in Neurosciences.

According to the researchers, these considerations mean that both aspects must always be taken into account in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and mental illnesses, even if only one of the aspects is initially in the foreground.

It must be emphasized that, in addition to the heart and cardiovascular system, other organs and systems, and in particular the immune system, also interact continuously with the brain and the psyche and should therefore be integrated into expanded brain–body-state concepts in a similar way.

The scientists—together with their colleagues Marta Gerosa, Agata Patyczek, and Elias Reinwarth—have also recently published an article for 8- to 15-year-olds in Frontiers for Young Minds, which explains the coupling between the heart and the brain in simple language.