My argument is that the three classic areas of neuroscience, endocrinology, and immunology, with their various organs – the brain (which is the key organ that the neuroscientists study), the glands, and the immune system (consisting of the spleen, the bone marrow, the lymph nodes, and of course the cells circulating throughout the body) – that these three areas are actually joined to each other in a bidirectional network of communication and that the information “carriers” are the neuropeptides.
Dr. Candace Pert (1946–2013) was an internationally recognized neuroscientist and pharmacologist. Her research contributed to the study of neuropeptides and communication among the brain, endocrine system, and immune system, and helped bring scientific and public attention to mind–body medicine.
In her 1985 paper “Neuropeptides and Their Receptors: A Psychosomatic Network,” (PMID: 2989371) Pert proposed that neuropeptides and their receptors help form a communication network linking the brain, glands, and immune system. With NIH collaborators, she developed Peptide T, an experimental HIV-entry inhibitor. Its analog DAPTA was evaluated in clinical studies for HIV-associated cognitive impairment.
Pert also advocated for a broader understanding of how emotional experience and physiology interact. She used the term “bodymind,” written without a hyphen, to express her view that mind and body are integrated. She believed emotions and their associated memories could influence physiological processes and wellness. These ideas shaped her research, writing, and lectures;
In this concept Candace realized the unified and integrated level at which physiology, mind, and consciousness access one another to enhance or diminish wellness.
When Dr. Pert began writing about the bodymind in the 1980s, the connections among the brain, endocrine system, immune system, and emotions were far less recognized in mainstream medicine. She continued to champion this integrated view, helping bring psychoneuroimmunology and mind–body medicine into wider scientific and public discussion, and her ideas continue to inform research into how mind and body interact.
A groundbreaking theory
One of Pert’s most influential contributions was her theory of emotions. She proposed that emotions are mediated by receptor-active signaling molecules, including neuropeptides and cytokines, which help carry information between the brain and body. She believed emotional memories are held throughout the body at receptor sites, and that emotional expression supports healthy communication and integration within the bodymind.
Pert called these molecules “informational substances,” emphasizing the role of information in mind–body communication. She taught that mind exists both within and beyond the body through consciousness, its animating principle. She also saw emotions as a way the bodymind exchanges information among individuals and groups. Her 1985 paper described neuropeptides and their receptors as part of a communication network linking the brain, glands, and immune system. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Within this framework, somatic, behavioral, and contemplative practices had a physiological basis and could support health and recovery by engaging the body’s innate repair and regenerative systems. Pert’s vision offered a biochemical perspective on ideas explored in Walter Cannon’s classic 1932 book, The Wisdom of the Body.
Pert envisioned a new model of medicine in which complementary and integrative practices could make a significant contribution to health, with or without conventional medical care. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at NIH continues to conduct and support research on complementary and integrative health approaches.
The discovery that started it all
As a graduate student at Johns Hopkins Medical School, Candace Pert identified the opiate receptor in nervous tissue—a discovery that helped transform neuroscience by making it possible to study how drugs act through specific receptors.
The receptor research was recognized with the 1978 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, which went to Snyder, John Hughes, and Hans Kosterlitz. In his acceptance remarks, Snyder specifically thanked Pert for identifying the opiate receptors in his laboratory. Pert later spoke about her belief that she had not received full recognition for her contribution and that gender bias played a part. Her challenge helped draw attention to the recognition of women in science. (Lasker Foundation account)
This research helped establish molecular neuropharmacology. The techniques developed to measure and locate opiate receptors were later applied to receptors for many neurotransmitters, advancing the study of brain chemistry and the search for new medicines.
Pert continued to break barriers in the field. In 1983, she became Chief of the Section on Brain Biochemistry in the Clinical Neuroscience Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Later, she held a research professorship in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Her work explored endorphins, pain, and electroacupuncture, as well as the role of endorphins in sexual pleasure. These inquiries informed her molecular theory of emotions and her view that mind and body are inseparable. Her work reached a broad audience through Bill Moyers’ television series and book Healing and the Mind, and she lectured to professional and public audiences around the world.
One of her principal papers on these subjects was Neuropeptides and Their Receptors: A Psychosomatic Network, published in the Journal of Immunology in 1985. The paper concluded that “Neuropeptides and their receptors thus join the brain, glands, and immune system in a network of communication between brain and body, probably representing the biochemical substrate of emotion.” Pert described the body as the subconscious mind—a powerful expression of her bodymind vision that resonated with therapists, movement educators, and bodyworkers.
With her NIH collaborators, Pert developed Peptide T, an experimental HIV-entry inhibitor. Later research showed that it blocks viral entry by HIV strains that use CCR5. Its analog DAPTA was evaluated in clinical studies for HIV-associated cognitive-motor impairment. (Peptide T and CCR5; DAPTA clinical study)
Her 1997 book Molecules of Emotion brought her scientific research and ideas about mind–body connections to a wide audience. It tells the story of her discoveries and offers a window into her evolving ideas and creative process.
At the time of her death in 2013, Pert was Chief Scientific Officer of Rapid Pharmaceuticals, which she co-founded. Her Peptide T research continues through the development of orally active analogs, including RAP-103, for potential applications in chronic pain, neurodegenerative disorders, and opioid-related conditions.
Books, Films & Other Media
Dr. Pert appeared in the films The Healing Field: Exploring Energy & Consciousness, What the Bleep Do We Know!?? and The People vs the State of Illusion and was an on-air contributor to Bill Moyer’s TV program Healing and the Mind. She is the author of the books Molecules of Emotion, The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine (Scribner, 1997), Everything You Need to Know to Feel Go(o)d (Hay House, 2006), and The Science of Golf and Life. She also authored the musical guided imagery CD Psychosomatic Wellness: Healing your Body-Mind. and Healing the Hurting, Shining the Light, A Chakra Meditation for all your BodyMinds. Her AIDS drug Peptide T was featured in the 2013 Oscar winning movie Dallas Buyers Club.
Dr. Pert led the path for many future authors to explore these topics who in turn acknowledged Dr. Pert for her wide influence such as Deepak Chopra, who acknowledged in a speech at her memorial service that much of his work was made possible by Dr. Pert’s scientific theories.
Candace’s greatest legacy however continues to be realized through the life-altering medicines that she devoted much of her life to discovering, developing and one day disseminating as treatments for a host of debilitating diseases that affect millions of people worldwide.
Her abounding compassion and caring were evident in her work, her writing and in her myriad of personal relationships. She remains a source of inspiration and love to so many whose lives she touched.
