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Igor Branchi, Senior Researcher at the Italian Institute of Health, is a new fellow at IAS. During his kick-off event, he will introduce the Context Theory of constrained systems in order to provide a deeper understanding of the complexity of the brain and mind, as well as for developing innovative strategies to promote mental well-being.
Event details of Leveraging complexity to advance mental well-being: context, causality, and the interface
Date
12 February 2025
Time
12:00 -14:00
Room
Sweelinck Room
Igor Branchi

Leveraging complexity to advance mental well-being: context, causality, and the interface

Despite significant progress in molecular and cellular neuroscience, our understanding of the interplay between the brain, behavior and mental health, as well as our ability to effectively treat psychopathology, remains limited. This limitation is partly attributable to the use of inadequate theoretical tools. The aim of my presentation is to introduce the Context theory of constrained systems that has key conceptual implications relevant to addressing complex problems such as psychiatric disorders.

First, context is the driver of system outcome. Thus, contextual factors have a unique role in determining behavior. Second, context and system elements operate through different causalities that are antithetical but synergic in determining system outcome: while context drives behavior, biological substrates constrain the behavioral repertoire that can be enacted. Third, the system interface orchestrates system organization. Since behavior is the interface between the brain and the environment, it is a privileged level of control over neural functioning.

Recognizing the relevance of these implications is crucial in the mental health field for understanding and implementing a growing number of treatments that deviate from standards, for instance, lacking a dose-response relationship and producing effects that are context-dependent. These treatments include plasticity-enhancing drugs, such as traditional and novel antidepressants, notably psychedelics. Since the Context theory of constrained systems addresses basic features of complex systems, it can be generalized to disciplines beyond neuroscience and psychiatry. Overall, this theoretical framework holds potential for understanding the complexity of the brain and mind, as well as for developing innovative strategies to promote mental well-being.

Programme

12:00 Lunch on arrival
12:30 Start kick-off event
14:00 End