![]() ![]() She has demonstrated that deep-brain stimulation of the area can alleviate symptoms in people with treatment-resistant depression (Neuron, 2005). Mayberg describes area 25 as a "junction box" that interacts with other areas of the brain involved in mood, emotion and thinking. Helen Mayberg, MD, a professor of psychiatry and neurology at Emory University, has been actively involved in research that singled out a region of the brain - Brodmann area 25 - that is overactive in people with depression. Researchers have also begun to flesh out a physiological explanation for depression. Others have zeroed in on anomalies associated with autism, including abnormal brain growth and underconnectivity among brain regions. They've identified genes linked to schizophrenia and discovered that certain brain abnormalities increase a person's risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder after a distressing event. Indeed, in recent years scientists have made many exciting discoveries about the function - and dysfunction - of the human brain. We're finally able to answer some of the fundamental questions." "We are really at the cusp of a revolution in the way we think about the brain and behavior, partly because of technological breakthroughs. ![]() And like cardiology of yesteryear, the field is poised for dramatic transformation, he says. Insel believes the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness is today where cardiology was 100 years ago. That has really led to enormous changes in most areas of medicine," he says. "In most areas of medicine, we now have a whole toolkit to help us know what's going on, from the behavioral level to the molecular level. As a result, Insel says, mortality from heart attacks has dropped dramatically in recent decades. Today they can measure cholesterol levels, examine the heart's electrical impulses with EKG, and take detailed CT images of blood vessels and arteries to deliver a precise diagnosis. They could merely observe a patient's physical presentation and listen to the patient's subjective complaints. A century ago, doctors had little knowledge of the biological basis of heart disease. But the same basic principles apply." A new toolkit "The only difference here is that the organ of interest is the brain instead of the heart or pancreas. All chronic diseases have behavioral components as well as biological components, he says. To Insel, mental illnesses are no different from heart disease, diabetes or any other chronic illness. Insel, MD, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, who has championed a biological perspective during his tenure at the agency. That viewpoint is quickly gaining supporters, thanks in part to Thomas R. Where else could be if not in the brain?" "All mental processes are brain processes, and therefore all disorders of mental functioning are biological diseases," he says. ![]() Are mental illnesses simply physical diseases that happen to strike the brain? Or do these disorders belong to a class all their own?Įric Kandel, MD, a Nobel Prize laureate and professor of brain science at Columbia University, believes it's all about biology. Yet experts disagree on how far we can push this biological model. Thanks to new tools in genetics and neuroimaging, scientists are making progress toward deciphering details of the underlying biology of mental disorders. No blood test exists for depression no X-ray can identify a child at risk of developing bipolar disorder. But classifying mental illness is a more subjective endeavor. Diabetes is diagnosed by measuring blood glucose levels. Heart disease is identified with the help of blood tests and electrocardiograms. Diagnosing mental illness isn't like diagnosing other chronic diseases. ![]()
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