The brain-heart connection: Mayo Clinic expert explains a powerful impact that works both ways
 

(DUBAI) - You may have heard of the mind-body connection: the broad concept that thoughts and feelings, especially those related to stress, can influence physical health. Mohamad Alkhouli, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota (USA), is researching the relationship between the brain and the heart. Each can have a powerful impact on the other, Dr. Alkhouli explains.

"The mind-heart connection is part of the broader mind-body relationship, but it’s uniquely powerful. Emotional states like anxiety, grief, or even joy can directly influence heart rhythms, blood pressure, and even the risk of heart attacks," Dr. Alkhouli says. "At the same time, the heart sends signals back to the brain through nerves, hormones, and pressure receptors—affecting our mood, attention, and stress levels. So, it’s not just the brain talking to the heart; the heart talks back.

Dr. Alkhouli is part of a Mayo Clinic research team that studies various aspects of the brain-heart connection. The team's research, published in the journal JACC: Advances, suggests a link between spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a type of heart attack that often results from physical or emotional stress, and another heart condition, stress-induced cardiopathy (SICM), also known as broken heart syndrome.

Broken heart syndrome is often sparked by stressful situations and extreme emotions; it briefly interrupts the way the heart pumps blood. People experiencing it may have sudden chest pain or think they're having a heart attack.

In broken heart syndrome, the heart's temporary weakening doesn't happen evenly: Some parts of the heart fail to contract well, while others work harder to compensate, Dr. Alkhouli says. This uneven motion creates twisting forces on the heart muscle. The research suggests that SCAD can be a secondary event instigated by broken heart syndrome.

"Because the coronary arteries, the main blood vessels that supply blood to the heart, sit on top of the heart, they can be stretched or stressed at the junctions between these overactive and underactive areas during broken heart syndrome," he explains. "In some cases, this stress may cause a tear in the artery wall, which we call SCAD."

A question still to be answered is why some people develop broken heart syndrome after emotional trauma while others do not, Dr. Alkhouli notes.

Emotional stress can also increase the risk of other heart conditions, such as:

• High blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
• Heart disease.
• Atrial tachycardia.
• Bradycardia.

"What fascinates me most is how deeply intertwined our emotional and cardiovascular systems are, and how much we still don't understand," Dr. Alkhouli says. "Could we one day 'rewire' this connection for healing, using therapy, neuromodulation (alteration of nerve activity at targeted sites in the body by electrical or chemical means), or even digital tools? At Mayo Clinic, we're exploring these questions, and we're beginning to see the heart and brain not as separate organs, but as a single, dynamic network."

That network works in both directions. Dr. Alkhouli is part of Mayo's Heart Brain Clinic, where cardiologists and neurologists collaborate to evaluate patients who may experience neurological symptoms that can be attributed to a cardiac event.

In these patients, the heart and brain are closely linked, such as strokes caused by clots that form in the heart, known as cardioembolic strokes. The causes of a transient ischemic attack, a short period of stroke-like symptoms, may include a blood clot that moves from another part of the body, such as the heart, to an artery that supplies the brain. The heart condition atherosclerosis, the buildup of fats, cholesterol, and other substances in and on the artery walls, can also lead to a transient ischemic attack.

More research is needed to understand better how to harness the mind-heart connection for disease prevention and healing. There are steps you can take now for your mental health that will benefit your heart, and things you can do for your heart health that will benefit your brain, Dr. Alkhouli says.

"The good news is that what's good for your mind is often good for your heart, and vice versa," he explains. That includes:

• Managing stress.
• Getting quality sleep.
• Staying socially connected.
• Practicing mindfulness or prayer.

"All have measurable benefits for heart health," Dr. Alkhouli says. "Likewise, regular physical activity, a heart-healthy diet, and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol can boost mood and cognitive function. It's a powerful feedback loop: Caring for one supports the other."                                             

                        
                

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