We are pleased to share a new publication by members of the Emotion and Social Decisions Lab (ESDLab) and the Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), recently published in Neuroscience.
The article, “Contextual & physiological markers for individual distress (CP-MInD). Brain health as a comprehensive framework for Mental-health equity”, was co-authored by Felipe Rojas-Thomas, Principal Investigator at ESDLab and researcher at CSCN, Fiorella Macchiavello, a Clinical Psychology Master’s student at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, and Juan Pablo Morales from the University of Sydney and Universidad Finis Terrae.
The paper presents the CP-MInD framework (Contextual & Physiological Markers for Individual Distress), an integrative model that examines how socioeconomic disadvantage may become biologically embedded and contribute to disparities in brain and mental health.
Drawing on evidence from neuroscience, psychology, stress physiology, and microbiome research, the authors propose that social conditions such as financial strain, food insecurity, poor sleep, limited access to healthy environments, and chronic stress can influence biological systems that are closely linked to well-being.
The framework focuses on two key mechanisms: allostatic load, which reflects the cumulative biological burden of chronic stress, and the microbiota–gut–brain axis, a bidirectional communication system linking the gut microbiome and the brain. Together, these processes may help explain how social adversity affects emotional regulation, social cognition, and vulnerability to mental-health difficulties.
Beyond providing a theoretical framework, the article highlights the importance of integrating contextual and biological approaches to better understand mental-health inequities and to inform future research, interventions, and public policies.
The study was published as part of the special issue Diversity in Global Brain and Mental Health in Neuroscience.
Learn more
Interested in the ideas behind the CP-MInD framework? We invite you to read our accompanying blog article, “Is Poverty Changing Our Biology? How Inequality Gets Under the Skin”, which explores the study’s main findings in an accessible and engaging format for a broader audience.
Reference
Morales, J. P., Macchiavello, F., & Rojas-Thomas, F. (2026). Contextual & physiological markers for individual distress (CP-MInD): Brain health as a comprehensive framework for mental-health equity. Neuroscience, 595, 154–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2025.12.034
