This podcast interview explores the complex interplay between the brain, mind, and body, emphasizing that physical and mental health are inseparable. The guest and hosts critique the siloed nature of modern healthcare, which often separates neurology from psychiatry and fails to address how social factors influence biological outcomes. They highlight functional neurological disorder (FND) as a primary example of how beliefs and environmental stressors can manifest as real physical symptoms. To move forward, the speakers advocate for the biopsychosocial model, urging clinicians to adopt a more integrated, “team-oriented” approach to patient care. Ultimately, the discussion calls for a systemic shift in medical training and public understanding to fully integrate interventions on the brain, mind, and body.
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Guest disclosures: Dr. Edwards has an ownership interest in Brain and Mind Ltd and is a medical advisor to FNDHope (a patient charity).
About Mark
Mark Edwards (MBBS, BSc (Hons), PhD, FRCP) is Professor of Neurology and Interface Disorders at King’s College London and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at The Maudsley and King’s College Hospitals. He has a specialist clinical and research interest in Movement Disorders and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). He did his PhD at the UCL Institute of Neurology, studying the pathophysiology of genetic dystonia. He later became a Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at UCL and the National Hospital for Neurology. Here he developed an NIHR funded research program and specialist diagnostic and treatment service for patients with FND. After moving to St George’s in 2015 he expanded this work to develop one of the first integrated diagnostic and treatment services for FND alongside continued research work into the pathophysiology of the disorder and development and testing of novel treatments, including the first randomised trial of specialist physiotherapy for functional movement disorders. He recently led the development of a national optimal clinical pathway for Functional Neurological Disorder on behalf of NHS England. He was appointed as Professor of Neurology and Interface Disorders at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London and Consultant Neurologist at the Maudsley and King’s College Hospital in September 2022.
He has published over 450 peer reviewed publications and is author of the Oxford Specialist Handbook of Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders. He is Past President of the Association of British Neurology Movement Disorders Group, a Founding Member of the Functional Neurological Disorder Society, Deputy Editor of the European Journal of Neurology, and medical advisor for FNDHope, the UK Dystonia Society and the British Association of Performing Arts Medicine. He was awarded the Stanley Fahn Award from the International Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Society in 2025.
References
Hellstern, R. B., Lamson, A. L., Jensen, J. F., Martin, M. P., & Hylock, R. H. (2025). Physical and mental health outcomes of integrated care: Systematic review of study. Families, Systems, & Health.
Maderthaner, L., & Edwards, M. J. (2025). Mind–Body Integration in Brain Health. Clinical and Translational Neuroscience, 9(3), 37.
Rocks, S., Berntson, D., Gil-Salmerón, A., Kadu, M., Ehrenberg, N., Stein, V., & Tsiachristas, A. (2020). Cost and effects of integrated care: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. The European Journal of Health Economics, 21(8), 1211-1221.
World Health Organization. Optimizing Brain Health Across the Life Course: WHO Position Paper; World Health Organization: Geneva, Switzerland, 2022. Available online: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240054561 (accessed on 12 June 2026).