Abstract:

At present the biological mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy are not clear and need to explore. This paper will discuss the biological mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy from four aspects of brain function, neuroelectrophysiology, neuroendocrine system and immunity, heredity and epigenetics, involving multiple mechanisms. Combining the results of psychology, physiology and heredity, this paper proposes that the biological integration mechanism of cognitive behavioral therapy is a multi-disciplinary integration model which develops from micro, middle and macro levels. Moreover, the limitations of the present results of previous studies are also discussed and a new direction for exploring the biological mechanism of cognitive behavioral therapy are provided. We intend to establish a foundation for promoting the development of cognitive behavioral therapy.

Key words: CBT, event-related potentials, neuroendocrine system, pro-inflammatory cytokines, epigenetics