In a recent study, CNBC researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated substantial anatomical connections between the adrenal medulla, which regulates responses in conditions of physical and emotional stress, and a variety of cortical areas including areas of prefrontal cortex and motor control areas. One large network includes portions of somatosensory cortex and all motor cortical areas, while a second smaller network is linked to areas of prefrontal cortex tied to cognition and affect. CNBC senior author, Peter Strick (http://www.neurobio.pitt.edu/faculty/strick.htm), Thomas Detre Chair of the Department of Neurobiology and scientific director of the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, notes that these networks provide a physiological basis for exploring the types of mind-body connection evoked when one speaks of psychosomatic disorders or the influence of meditation and mindfulness on bodily states. See more details here and for the paper by Dum et al. can be found here.