["A medicine of human relationship" revisited--Current neurobiological and psychosomatic developments]

In his programmatic paper published 1989 in this journal, Herbert Weiner held the view that psychosomatic medicine has become a medicine of human relations. The aim of this review is to reflect if current scientific evidence supports his view. Evidence from animal studies suggests that early infant-mother separation or neglect not only has a lasting influence on attachment behaviour, but also on brain development and the ability for stress regulation mediated by environmental as well as genetic factors. Neuronal networks processing affective components of physical pain play a role in signalling painful emotional experiences due to social isolation and separation. A consistent finding across different studies is that physicians who adopt a warm, friendly and reassuring manner help activate patients endogenous opioid system, foster their compliance and promote better therapeutic results. In summary, evidence from neurobiological studies not only support Herbert Weiner's theses but also opens new venues for interdisciplinary research.