Brain Health Is Rooted in State of Mind, Finds Study

A new study from the Mitochondrial PsychoBiology Lab of Martin Picard, PhD, associate professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, suggests that a more positive state of mind may slow down age-related cognitive decline, lower the chances of developing brain disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, and potentially even prolong life expectancy.

“We’re showing that older individuals’ state of mind is linked to the biology of their brain mitochondria, which is the first time that subjective psychosocial experiences have been related to brain biology,” says Caroline Trumpff, assistant professor of medical psychology, who led the research with Dr. Picard.

“We think that the mitochondria in the brain are like antennae, picking up molecular and hormonal signals and transmitting information to the cell nucleus, changing the life course of each cell,” says Dr. Picard. “And if mitochondria can change cell behavior, they can change the biology of the brain, the mind, and the whole person.” 

In collaboration with Neuroimmunologist and Weil-Granat Professor of Neurology Dr. Philip L. De Jager and team, the researchers examined mitochondria in various brain cell types and discovered that the links between mitochondria and psychosocial factors were influenced not by neurons, but by glial cells. These findings suggest that glial cells may play a more significant role than just their traditionally understood "supportive" functions.

“This piece of the study, made possible by our collaboration with the Columbia Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, is what I think makes it particularly significant,” Picard says. “To ask questions at this level of cellular resolution in the brain is unprecedented in the mitochondrial field. [read more]

Source: CUIMC Newsroom