Researchers are mapping the real-time conversation between brain and body, generating new knowledge that can transform how care is deliverediStockPhoto / Getty Images
What if a treatment for depression could reduce your risk of heart disease?
What if cancer therapies could improve outcomes for people living with schizophrenia?
What if the same drug that treats diabetes could cure addiction?
Although there is a growing understanding that the brain and body are fundamentally interconnected, physical and mental health are often treated separately. Stress, immune function, metabolism—these systems don’t work in isolation. They are in constant conversation with the brain, shaping how we feel, how we function and how we heal.
UHN and CAMH have come together to close the gaps between physical and mental health. The goal is to better understand—and ultimately heal—the mechanisms that connect physical and mental illness.
“We still don’t fully understand how the brain works, let alone how it interacts with the rest of the body. If we want to get ahead of illness, we need to close that knowledge gap,” says Dr. Jaideep Bains, interim senior research director, UHN Research Institutes, and director, Krembil Brain Institute. “And we need to ask, and finally start to answer, some of the most critical questions in human health.”
Dr. Kevin Smith, UHN president and CEO, notes that the high-impact collaboration between UHN and CAMH is grounded in clinical excellence, research expertise and a shared belief in what is possible when people and purpose are aligned.
“There is nowhere else with this unique combination: brain science, mental health and biomedical excellence, elevated by national leadership, global research networks and a commitment to transforming science into care.”
Sarah Downey, president and CEO, CAMH, says that CAMH and UHN are already working together in new ways to better serve people with complex needs.
“We’ve aligned care pathways across our hospitals, strengthened trauma-informed approaches and are exploring shared education models that prepare the next generation of health professionals to care for the whole person,” Ms. Downey says. “By bringing together our strengths and leadership in research, this partnership is generating new knowledge that can change how care is delivered across the health system.”
The next step? Deepen their understanding of the brain-body connection and translate that knowledge into better care.
Addressing the cascading effects of illness
People living with conditions like schizophrenia, depression or addiction are more likely to develop chronic health conditions and more likely to die 15 to 20 years earlier than their peers. Meanwhile, people with heart disease, cancer, arthritis or diabetes face significantly higher risk of developing mental illness, especially when the stress, uncertainty or pain of illness goes untreated.
Over time, these cascading effects contribute to a growing burden on the person, their family and the health care system. As people live longer—but not necessarily healthier—lives, the cost of treating late-stage, co-occurring illnesses rises as outcomes decline.
The UHN-CAMH partnership is a world-first model with transformative global potential to address this challenge.
“Our first goal is to better understand how the brain’s circuitry shapes and is shaped by our bodies, environments and experiences,” says Dr. Bains. “By asking these kinds of questions across disciplines and populations, we can begin to identify brain-body mechanisms that shape health and uncover new pathways to healing and recovery.”
Researchers are mapping the real-time conversation between brain and body, uncovering the connections that govern not just thoughts and behaviour, but also immune responses, disease-induced inflammation and even the progression of diseases like cancer and diabetes.
According to Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, vice-president, UHN-CAMH partnership, and senior vice-president, research and science at CAMH, joint CAMH and UHN research will focus on three key areas where the brain and body are especially connected: stress, immunology and inflammation (which are connected) and metabolism.
“Together, UHN and CAMH are perfectly positioned to tackle questions like: Why do panic attacks cause shortness of breath? Do tumours grow faster in people with depression? Does childhood trauma negatively affect immune response in adulthood?” he says.
Discovering untapped potential in therapies
Another promising avenue of research is drug repurposing, says Dr. Ishrat Husain, UHN mental health and UHN-CAMH partnership program medical director and senior scientist at CAMH. That means using existing medications, originally designed to treat physical illness, to improve mental health outcomes. This work reflects the powerful two-way connection between brain and body and the untapped potential in therapies already available.
“We’re beginning to see how existing treatments can work in new ways,” Dr. Husain says. “For example, GLP-1 receptor agonists, originally developed for diabetes, are now showing promise in the treatment of addictions. Anti-inflammatory medications are showing antidepressant effects, and ketamine and other anesthetics are being used to relieve persistent and severe mood symptoms.”
With deeper insight into the two-way relationship between brain and body, we can develop better interventions, he adds.
“Through this partnership, we will accelerate discovery in brain health science to bring better care to people with both physical and mental illness.”
Advertising feature produced by UHN. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.
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