Chronic stress significantly impacts the central nervous system (CNS) and its regulation of neurological and systemic stress responses crucial for maintaining bodily homeostasis. Clinical observations consistently highlight the co-occurrence of mood disorders, particularly depression and anxiety, in patients with chronic systemic diseases. These psychiatric symptoms often exacerbate physical ailments, hindering recovery and complicating treatment regimens. The complex relationship between psychiatric and systemic illnesses also appears bidirectional as underlying brain-body crosstalk processes may involve reciprocal communication between the CNS and other major body systems. However, the precise intrinsic physiological and biochemical mechanisms are still poorly understood. Consequently, evidence-based interdisciplinary research is essential to elucidate these mechanisms, paving the way for more effective therapeutic, diagnostic, and preventive strategies for stress-related psychiatric illnesses, in particular depression, and the comorbidities associated with various systemic illnesses.

This Research Topic aims to broaden the scientific literature and discussion on brain-body crosstalk focusing on pathophysiological processes underlying stress-induced interruption of the brain’s ability to communicate with and regulate the function of peripheral organ systems with a specific focus on depression and its interaction with chronic systemic diseases.

Topics to be covered include (but are not limited to):

• Exploring the bidirectional links between depression and cardiovascular health
• Investigating the relationship between depression and chronic pain syndromes
• Identifying psychosocial stressors, lifestyle factors, and daily practices that contribute to the development of depression in the context of chronic systemic diseases.
• Physiological and biochemical pathways involved in stress-induced dysregulation of the CNS and peripheral organ systems, including neuroendocrine, immune, and inflammatory processes
• Novel biochemical targets for the development of therapeutic interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms in chronic pain and cardiovascular illnesses

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Frontiers in Psychiatry

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