When the heart has a mind of its own. A scientific day on heart-brain interactions in mental health.
June 07, 2010
A scientific day on heart-brain interactions in mental health
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MONTREAL, Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - We say that a lost love leads to a broken heart, even though most unsuccessful relationships are really an affair of the mind. When faced with severe stress, we are told to get our minds off of things, even though it's a pounding heart that bears the brunt of our anxiety! These two organs, the heart and the brain, indeed represent a confused combination of power, influence and interdependence.
However, beyond popular conceptions about this mysterious relationship, it’s scientific research that will gradually succeed in showing that the heart-brain connection is probably a lot closer than we think.
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Men and women who specialize in both the heart and the head will meet on Friday, May 7 at Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital for a symposium entitled "Quand le cœur fait à sa tête : les interactions cœur -cerveau en santé mentale." Experts from the Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital and the Montreal Heart Institute will present their latest findings on this mysterious relationship between cardiology and psychiatry.
This day will be an opportunity for neuroscience researcher Dr. Sonia Lupien, Scientific Director and Director of the Centre for Studies on Human Stress at the Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, and Dr. François Lespérance, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the CHUM and Associate Researcher at the Montreal Heart Institute, to educate their colleagues about the importance of greater cooperation between the two disciplines.
"The main goal of this activity is to help participants understand these complex interactions and bring together specialists from clinical psychology, cardiology, psychiatry and pharmacology to establish the first bridges between the fields of cardiology and psychiatry," said Dr. Sonia Lupien. "Ultimately, we hope that the relationships created today will lead to new interdisciplinary research projects in cardiology and the neuroscience of mental health."
"The epidemiological data demonstrating the negative impact of depression on cardiovascular mortality are well known. It is essential that researchers share their knowledge about the complex biological relationships between emotional disorders and heart disorders so that we can explore new research avenues and discover promising new treatments," said Dr. François Lespérance, who is also Assistant Vice-Dean of Clinical Research at the Faculty of Medicine of Université de Montréal. "It has also been demonstrated that changes in one system may have a significant impact on the other with sometimes serious pathological consequences. As a result, an understanding of somatic disorders can only be achieved through complementarity between psychiatry and cardiology. "
This event will help participants learn more about the connections between heart disease and psychological distress, the role of emotions and the importance of support from loved ones in the treatment of heart disease, as well as the causes of metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia
"Quand le cœur fait à sa tête" will be a day of in-depth learning and sharing that will lay the groundwork for collaboration between two far-removed disciplines, the sole aim of which is to promote the treatment and recovery of people struggling with health problems.
Even though, according to Blaise Pascal, "the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing," this scientific day on May 7 will show that affairs of the heart are perhaps not so distant from those of the brain!
Fernand-Seguin Research Centre
The Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital, along with its partners, Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies and the Institut Philippe-Pinel de Montréal, is recognized by the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec. At the forefront of knowledge, it is one of the largest venues for clinical research in mental health in Francophone Canada.
Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital
Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital provides specialized and ultraspecialized services in mental health. A leader in its field, it develops knowledge through research, teaching and assessment. Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital is a member of the Université de Montréal's extensive network of excellence in health. www.hlhl.qc.ca
About the Montreal Heart Institute
Founded in 1954 by Dr. Paul David, the Montreal Heart Institute constantly aims for the highest standards of excellence in the cardiovascular field through its leadership in prevention, ultra-specialized care, professionals training, clinical and fundamental research, and assessment of new technologies. The Institute is part of a vast network of excellence in health formed by the Université de Montréal and its affiliated institutions. To learn more about the Institute, please visit our website at: www.icm-mhi.org.
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Information
Catherine Dion
Communications Department
Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital - Fernand-Seguin Research Centre
Phone: 514-251-4000, ext. 2986
Cell: 514-235-4036
catherine.dion.hlhl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
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