New research is discovering a complex and intimate connection between our state of mind and the functioning of the immune system.
Unpublished research recently summarized in the journal Nature conducted at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa unearthed a fascinating connection between the brain and recovery from heart attacks in mice.
Examining scarring on the hearts of the rodents, researchers discovered a significant difference in the level of damage between one group of mice that had received stimulation of a brain area involved in positive emotion and motivation, and the control group that received no stimulation.
The control group showed significant evidence of damage to heart cells under the microscope while the brain-stimulated mice had far less detectable injury….