Page 69 - JCBP-2-2

Journal of Clinical and
Basic Psychosomatics Psychosomatic medicine in 2023

2.7. Others understanding of the body–mind interactions. These key

Gordon et al. conducted a study in which they mapped the research findings from the past year offer an outlook on the
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motor cortex (M1) in seven adults utilizing precision fMRI future of psychosomatic medicine, charting a course for
while performing tasks such as blinking and knee flexion. future research and practice toward a holistic, personalized
In addition, they analyzed three large public fMRI datasets, approach deeply informed by the interconnectedness of
which encompassed approximately 50,000 individuals, to the mind, body, and society.
validate their observations. The findings challenged the Studies on psychosomatic mechanisms have identified
traditional view of a continuous somatotopic homunculus bidirectional communication between the brain and
in M1, revealing regions with distinct connectivity peripheral organ systems, mediated through neural,
instead, interspersed among effector-specific areas. These hormonal, and immunological pathways. For example, the
regions, linked to the cingulo–opercular network (CON), novel link between asthma-related airway inflammation
are crucial for integrating action control, physiological and emotion-related neural function emphasizes the role
responses, and cognitive processes. This interplay forms of inflammation in psychosomatic diseases. Moreover,
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the somatic-cognitive action network (SCAN), indicating the discovery of the SCAN provides a more intuitive
a dual system in M1 for isolated motor control and understanding of the brain’s role in integrating cognitive,
integrated body action planning. The study significantly emotional, and physical processes, shedding light on
advances our understanding of the motor cortex’s role in various issues related to the body and mind. In addition,
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coordinating physical and mental states. the exploration of the different axes can advance the
In an observational study conducted in Germany, understanding of psychosomatic dysfunction; discovering
2094 patients from 19 departments underwent structured a previously undiscovered “brain–x” pathway holds
diagnostic interviews and scale assessments. A significant promise for revolutionizing treatments for psychosomatic
proportion of the sample, described as “complex diseases. The advent of brain imaging techniques in
patients,” was found to suffer from high comorbidity of studying cardiovascular regulation, chronic somatization
mental and somatic diseases, severe psychopathology, pain, and functional gastrointestinal disorders marks a
as well as significant social and occupational functional new era in psychosomatic medicine research. Integrating
impairments. This finding underscores the importance these techniques and multi-omics joint analysis allows
of a psychosomatic approach in the treatment of complex for the quantitative analysis of how mental activities
patients with high comorbidities and social as well as regulate physiological processes in the brainstem and
occupational functional disabilities. In a prospective peripheral systems, suggesting the brain’s role in mediating
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multicohort study, Frank et al. analyzed the relationship psychosomatic activities.
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between depression and the need for hospitalization due Elevated diagnoses of psychosomatic disorders called
to somatic conditions. The primary analysis was based on for an increase in medical intervention with full respect
data from the UK (United Kingdom) Biobank (130,652 to the BPS model. This approach involves an integrated
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individuals), with replication analyses conducted using approach to therapy, combining pharmacological
independent datasets from two Finnish cohorts (109,781 and non-pharmacological treatments, psychological
individuals). It indicated a widespread association between interventions, and green psychosomatic therapeutic
depression and somatic diseases across multiple organ techniques into a comprehensive treatment plan.
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systems over a 5-year follow-up period. The most common Numerous studies have demonstrated the specific
reasons for hospitalization among individuals with therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine
depression were endocrine disorders, musculoskeletal (TCM) in relieving symptoms through multiple
diseases, and circulatory as well as hematological diseases, channels and targets. In addition, the application
with cumulative incidence rates of 24.5%, 9.1%, and 8.6%, of psychological therapies, such as CBT, in treating
respectively. Depression was also linked to the progression psychosomatic conditions such as FM should receive
of cardiac diseases and diabetes. In addition, bidirectional greater emphasis. A novel psychotherapy method based
relationships were evidenced for 12 diseases. These findings on Eastern philosophy, balancing psychotherapy (BPT),
suggest that depression should be more broadly considered has also been proposed. BPT emphasizes the equilibrium
in the prevention and treatment of somatic diseases. between human needs and capabilities and encourages
reforming biased interpersonal relationships. It conducts
3. Discussion and outlook an in-depth analysis of the causes of psychosomatic

In 2023, the field of psychosomatic medicine witnessed symptoms stemming from misguided cognition and
remarkable advancements, indicating a deeper behavior in many Asian cultural contexts. 18

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2024) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcbp.2601