About CNS

 

Executive Director:
   Emeran A. Mayer, MD
     
Co-Director:
   Yvette Taché, PhD
     
Key Investigators :
  Lori Birder, PhD; Sylvie Bradesi, PhD; Tony Buffington, DVM, PhD; Lin Chang, MD; Muriel Larauche, PhD; Million Mulugeta, DVM, PhD; Bruce Naliboff, PhD; Harry Pothoulakis, PhD; Larissa Rodriguez, MD, PhD; Kirsten Tillisch, MD
     
Administrator:
   Teresa Olivas
     

 

Mission

To advance the science, practice and teaching of mind, brain body interactions and women's health by pursuing interdisciplinary, synergistic interactions between investigators and clinicians from different disciplines, departments and institutions, taking advantage of cutting edge technologies, and innovative research approaches.


About the Center

The Center is an NIH- funded, interdisciplinary research and clinical center which aims to enhance our understanding of how stress, pain and emotion interact in health and disease. Such greater understanding will lead to more cost effective ways to prevent and treat some of the most common chronic disorders, including Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndromes and fibromyalgia. It is the only NIH funded Center of its kind, where researchers use cutting edge technologies such as brain imaging, molecular biology and genetic approaches to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of the interactions between mind, brain and body. In addition to applying the latest research methodologies, Center clinicians provide integrative medical care to patients, by combining the best of Western pharmacological treatments together with selected complementary treatments, in particularly mind body approaches to their patients.

One particular focus of Center research is how the brain and the internal organs, in particular the digestive system communicate with each other, and how alterations in this communication results in chronic abdominal pain and discomfort. Medical problems resulting from such altered brain visceral communication are often more common in women, and include IBS, functional heartburn and dyspepsia, and chronic pelvic pain syndromes. Center investigators study sex-related differences in the pathophysiology and in the treatment response of these disorders. A major research focus is on neurobiological mechanisms underlying the greater vulnerability of women to develop common affective, chronic pain and stress-related disorders.

Another important interest of the Center is to understand if and how so called complementary and alternative treatments, in particular mind body therapies, can improve symptoms and prevent their recurrence.

The Center is funded by two NIH Center grants, as well as a number of individual grants from the NIH and VA (Figure 1): A SCOR (Specialized Center of Research) grant, co- funded by the NIH Office of Research in Women's Health (ORWH) and by NIDDK, the other one, a mind body center infrastructure grant which is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).



The Center involves investigators and consultants from several institutions including UCLA, the West LA VA Medical Center, UC Irvine, and the Ohio State University. At UCLA Center investigators and have developed close collaborations with colleagues in different Departments and Schools, in particular Psychology, the Neuropsychiatric Institute, Urology and OB/GYN. (Figure 2)


In addition, CNS/WH partners with several advocacy groups (including the Society for Women's Health Research, the International Foundation for Functional GI Disorders and the Interstitital Cystitis Foundation) to provide education and resources. It is a member of the UCLA Collaborative Centers for Integrative Medicine (CCIM; www.uclamindbody.org), and the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine. The Center provides education to physicians and researches through accredited symposia and enduring materials.

The Center for Integrative Medicine and Women's Digestive Health, -- the clinical component of the CNS -- focuses on the diagnosis and management of chronic digestive disorders characterized by pain and discomfort such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), that primarily affect women. The center's features include patient care, medical education programs, and for patients who qualify, access to appropriate clinical trials investigating functional bowel disorders. These services are offered to all patients with functional bowel disorders as well as other medical conditions which commonly co-exist with IBS and/or occur commonly in women, including pelvic pain syndromes, IC, migraine headaches, and depression/anxiety. The Center interacts closely with other Integrative Medicine programs at UCLA, in particular the Pediatric Pelvic Pain program (L. Zeltzer) and the Ted Mann Center.

In addition to the Center grants, key Center investigators (Drs. Yvette Taché, Lin Chang, Bruce Naliboff, Juan Carlos Marvizón, Tony Buffington, Lori Birder and Emeran Mayer) have brought an additional 10 NIH RO1 grants into the Center, as well as non-federal funds from industry.


The Center has established the following programs.

  • Basic and Translational Research
  • Human Research
  • Clinical Services
  • Administration

 

The Center has established close synergistic research interactions with the following UCLA entities

 

The Center has established Interactions with the following UCLA clinical programs

 

The Center has established close interactions with related professional organizations