Scientists Identify Mind-Body Nexus in Human Brain

Scientists Identify Mind-Body Nexus in Human Brain
Three coloured spots on each half of the brain illuminate special locations in the movement areas of the brain that connect to areas involved in thinking, planning and control of basic bodily functions such as heart rate, in an undated illustration. Evan Gordon/Washington University/Handout via Reuters
Reuters
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WASHINGTON—The relationship between the human mind and body has been a subject that has challenged great thinkers for millennia, including the philosophers Aristotle and Descartes. The answer, however, appears to reside in the very structure of the brain.

Researchers said on Wednesday they have discovered that parts of the brain region called the motor cortex that govern body movement are connected with a network involved in thinking, planning, mental arousal, pain, and control of internal organs, as well as functions such as blood pressure and heart rate.