Circuitry found linking cerebral cortex to body's stress response

Our autonomic nervous system influences internal organs and governs key functions such as heart rate, digestion, and temperature regulation. Psychosomatic diseases are thosewithout clear physical basis, and are presumed to have a mental component. They are oftenviewed with suspicion by modern medicine because aneural link between brain areas of cognitive function and the autonomic nervous system has been lacking. Until now.

In apaper appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dum et al. haveidentifieda neural network linking the adrenal medulla to areasof the cerebral cortex in monkeys. These cortical areas are involved in motion planning and control, cognitive function, and emotional regulation.The authors believe this circuitry can provide top-downcontrol of the adrenal gland's release of stress hormone which govern "fight or flight" responses.They state that:

Taken together, these findings raise the possibility that the areas of the cerebral cortex that influence the adrenal medulla also are key cortical nodes of a stress and depression connectome.

An approachable summary of this work can be found here.