New Evidence on the Interface between Brain and Body in Child Development

Dear Colleagues,

Historically, neuropsychiatry and neuroscience have neglected the role of the body in the development of mental health difficulties. Likewise, the approach to physical medical conditions has been to largely ignore the contribution of the brain. However, accumulating evidence converges on the importance of brain–body interconnections and their mediators to preserve health or accelerate processes that have a negative impact on it. Furthermore, brain and body conditions are not discrete events in time but have long-lasting effects in the health continuum, where early life represents a crucial window of opportunity to sustain healthy developmental trajectories. Thus, overcoming the artificial dichotomy between the role of the brain and body in attaining developmental milestones and shaping associated behavior may help in advancing the understanding of such a process and the implementation of preventive and early intervention strategies. Moreover, clinical research at the interface between brain and body in child development may fuel the ongoing shift toward multidisciplinary and transdiagnostic models for care in neuropsychiatry.

Dr. Marco Colizzi
Dr. Leonardo Zoccante
Dr. Maria Luisa Scattoni 
Guest Editors

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