World Heart Day is September 29

ROCHESTER, Minn. — 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, 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."

Conditions with a brain-heart connection include spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) and stress-induced cardiopathy (SICM), also known as broken heart syndrome. Both conditions can result from stress. Dr. Alkhouli has been part of Mayo Clinic research teams exploring aspects of each.

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

The tools typically used to screen for heart attacks cannot identify when broken heart syndrome is actually the cause of a patient's chest pain. In most cases, invasive coronary angiography is required to differentiate SICM from myocardial infarction due to coronary obstruction. Mayo research found that a novel technology called magnetocardiography, which measures magnetic fields generated by the heart, can help identify broken heart syndrome. 

Another Mayo study suggests that SCAD, a type of heart attack that often results from physical or emotional stress, can be a secondary event instigated by broken heart syndrome.

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. 

"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, what 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 also can 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 work together to evaluate patients who may have 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 better understand 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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About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

Media contact:

• Sharon Theimer, Mayo Clinic Communications, newsbureau@mayo.edu

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