Mental and Physical Health Across the Brain–Heart Axis: From Political and Psychosocial Determinants to Chronic Disease

Mental and physical health have traditionally been investigated and managed within separate disciplines. However, growing evidence demonstrates that the brain and the heart function as a highly integrated and dynamic biological system connected through complex neural, autonomic, endocrine, immune, metabolic, inflammatory, behavioral, and psychosocial pathways. Rather than representing a simple anatomical or physiological connection, the Brain–Heart Axis may be viewed as an integrative framework influencing the prevention, development, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term outcomes of mental disorders and a broad spectrum of chronic physical diseases.This Research Topic aims to bring together researchers and clinicians from medicine, psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, neurology, cardiology, internal medicine, primary care, behavioral medicine and public mental health to advance current knowledge of the Brain–Heart Axis and its implications for disease prevention, diagnosis, therapeutic interventions, rehabilitation, sustainable clinical practice, and future clinical medicine.Beyond advancing our understanding of the biological mechanisms linking the brain and the cardiovascular system, this Research Topic seeks to explore how interdisciplinary approaches may improve evidence-based clinical decision-making, patient-centered care, precision medicine, and translational research. The Brain–Heart Axis provides a common biological and clinical framework for understanding interactions between mental and physical health across multiple chronic diseases. Although cardiovascular diseases represent a major focus of the Brain–Heart Axis, this Research Topic also welcomes contributions addressing other chronic physical diseases, particularly those representing major public health challenges, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic respiratory diseases, hepatobiliary diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and autoimmune diseases, all of which may influence mental and physical health to varying degrees through Brain–Heart interactions across the continuum of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term outcomes.As healthcare contributes substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions, increasing attention is being directed towards the environmental consequences of everyday clinical decisions. Diagnostic investigations, pharmacological therapies, anaesthetic strategies, medical procedures, rehabilitation pathways, follow-up decisions, and patient adherence all influence medical resource utilization and the environmental footprint of clinical practice. This Research Topic therefore welcomes innovative contributions exploring how advances in Brain–Heart science, behavioral medicine, evidence-based clinical decision-making, precision medicine, and interdisciplinary clinical care may improve patient outcomes while supporting the transition towards Sustainable Green Medicine through environmentally conscious and resource-efficient medical practice.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Brain–Heart Axis, neurobiology, neurocardiology and psychocardiology.• Brain–Heart communication, interaction, integration and coupling.• Central and autonomic nervous system regulation of cardiovascular function.• Heart rate variability and physiological, molecular and digital biomarkers.• Neuroendocrine, inflammatory, immune, metabolic and psychophysiological mechanisms.• Depression, anxiety, PTSD, stress-related disorders, cognitive impairment, severe mental illness and other psychiatric disorders.• Cardiovascular diseases and other chronic physical diseases across the Brain–Heart Axis.• Behavioral medicine, Integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (ICBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), lifestyle medicine, rehabilitation and patient empowerment.• Shared and evidence-based clinical decision-making, self-management, treatment adherence and precision medicine.• Prevention, early intervention and integrated multidisciplinary models of care.• Sustainable clinical practice, environmentally conscious clinical decision-making, healthcare environmental footprint, greenhouse gas emissions, and innovative strategies supporting the transition towards Sustainable Green Medicine. Topic editors: Dr. Mosad Zineldin, Gianluca Serafini, Hosam Hasan-Ali Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83709/mental-and-physical-health-across-the-brain-heart-axis-from-political-and-psychosocial-determinants-to-chronic-disease