May is Mental Health Awareness Month for 2025. May is also Stroke Awareness Month.
Strokes, it can be assumed, are more approachable to treat than several serious mental disorders because the pathology of strokes are known, but that of several severe mental illnesses is not known.
If therapy is applied at or around the source vessel[s] of a stroke, it is possible to have it treated while recovery continues. However, it is different for many mental illnesses. For example, in a major depression, what is different, for what exactly, in the brain to result in the condition?
This question means that what component is the go-to in the brain in major depression, and what is different about the component, resulting in depression? Though there have been several postulates about genes, neurons, white matter, gray matter, and so forth, it is still not established what to consult first and what to notice about it, when a depressive episode sets in.
It is possible to explore conceptual brain science, to identify components that may be responsible, as well as the mechanism that results in depression, as well as to expand to other serious mental disorders.
There is a spotlight [JULY 20, 2023] on TIME, John Fetterman Opens Up About His Battle With Depression, stating that, “The cardinal feature of the medical illness of depression is slowed speech, movement, and a lack of drive or initiative. He was very passive, very flat, very unemotional, almost mute, although he did talk. Just a lack of responsiveness and a flatness, a lack of that spark or passion you would expect to see in humans.”
Conceptual Brain Science
If there is an approximate explanation of what is happening in the mind, per mental state or condition, it would alter the trajectory of mental healthcare across the globe. This means that in a mental state, the components of the mind—and their mechanisms—are displayed as parallels.
Mental disorders are difficult, not just because there are no biomarkers, but because there is no existence of an approximate view of what is happening in the mind.
How can the human mind be defined? What are the components of the mind? If there is an emotion, what is the mechanism of the components for that emotion? How is this different from when that emotion is not present? Why are feelings generally different from emotions? What makes some memories result in a traumatic experience? What makes some memories lose contact with reality?
The first option to find out what the mind is from all the evidence in brain science, from over a century, is the neuron or nerve cell. Neurons are involved in all major functions, from memory to emotions, feelings, the regulation of internal senses, and so forth.
But are neurons the human mind? This question would mean that neurons are mechanizing different emotions. So, they have to be in one shape for an emotion and another for a different one. It would also mean the same for memories [which are numerous], feelings, and so forth. Neurons are cells. Even in a cluster, they do not have the variability to define different functions architecturally.
So, what, within or around neurons, might have the variability to be the basis for functions? Simply, how can the brain be better deciphered, or how does the brain organize information?
There is a recent [April 30, 2025] feature in Quanta Magazine, AI Is Nothing Like a Brain, and That’s OK, stating that, “In your brain, 86 billion neurons chitchat with one another in complex networks. They communicate by tossing molecules called neurotransmitters into the spaces between cells and catching them with arms called dendrites.”
“These molecules can shut down a neuron or spur it to activate, which triggers a sharp burst of electricity that flows down its long tail (axon). That then triggers branches (axon terminals) on the other end of the cell to send a new wave of molecules to the next neurons in the network. All neurons — in the brain and beyond — share this basic mechanism, but practically every other feature varies among neuron types and even individual neurons of the same type.”
How does conceptual brain science take this further to understand the basis of the brain for information, as well as to better manage mental disorders?
When neurons are active, they fire [or there is the action of electrical signals]. Electrical signals are ions. Neurons have synaptic transmission when active. Synaptic transmission is by chemical signals. Chemical signals are molecules.
Neurons, as established in brain science, are often in clusters. It is possible to theorize that the basis of the mind, or mental state, are ions and molecules, in sets or as loops, as electrical and chemical signals, in clusters of neurons.
For a function to become an outcome of the mind, electrical signals have to interact with chemical signals conceptually. This means that in a set, electrical signals have to strike at chemical signals to result in a formation or configuration, in an instance, to become the function. So, while the experience could be an emotion or a feeling, the mechanism is the interaction, in a set of electrical and chemical signals.
There are different modes of interaction. For example, in a set, some electrical signals may start their interaction from one edge and expand to the next edge of chemical signals. Other electrical signals may interact with a particular point only in the set. Some may interact with the whole set at once. Some chemical signals may begin to be available after the first impact of the strike of some electrical signals. Some electrical signals may hyper strike in a way that there are extras, outsizing the whole set.
Simply, there are interaction specifics that differentiate types of functions. Functions, for example, can be categorized into four: memory, feeling, emotion, and regulation of internal senses. The interactions for a range of emotions are different from those for a range of memories, and so on.
Also, interactions are usually graded [or graduated] by the states of [sets of] signals at the time of the interactions. Simply, in sets, electrical signals often have states, as well as chemical signals. It is the state that they are in, at the time of interactions, that may further decide how they interact, resulting in the reach of those interactions.
The states can be called attributes or qualifiers. Electrical signals states include splits, where some in a set split and go ahead of others, to interact first. Electrical signals also have [interactive] intensity. Electrical signals have paths of travel—or old or new sequences, and so on. Chemical signals have side-to-side volume variation, where volume in one part of the set, for one or more signals, is more than in others. They also have the highest possible volume for one set among others. There is also a collection of configurations by some sets, where similarities between two or more sets are collected in a set of chemical signals, allowing associations.
So, electrical and chemical signals interact. They often have different modes of interaction. Also, the states of signals at the time of interactions grade the extent of the interactions. Some labels for attributes include attention, awareness, intent, or control, and subjectivity.
This model exceeds the $100 million Machine Intelligence from Cortical Networks (MICrONS) to map the brain, ignoring that what is sought is the mind, how it works, and its responsibility in mental disorders, not more pictures of wires, or connectome, which the brain is already known to have.
The model is also advanced beyond the recent [May 07, 2025] Google Research and ISTA are using light microscopes to “map” the brain. A persistent dead-end.
Mental Health
Depression can be explained by an attribute called principal spot or principal measure. This is where a thick set of signals has a higher-than-regular volume. This volume swell makes it move up in the array of volumes among other sets. Usually, any set that has a higher volume in an instance is in attention. Though attention can quickly switch to another set with a higher volume or with a very high intensity [of electrical signals].
Now, with principal measure, there is a lock that is not just regular high volume, for attention, so to speak. The lock is because there are multiple chemical signals that are very high at the same time, away from just one, two, or a few more for attention [in a set].
This principal measure first reduces the ability for high volumes for some other sets. It also becomes a call for some electrical signals to interact with it, even if they are not necessarily compatible for a formation. It is this state that becomes heaviness, lethargy, disinterest, and so on, in depression.
When some antidepressants work by blocking the reuptake of a chemical signal, it is postulated to spread near-attention, across more sets [higher arrays], reducing the influence of the set with a principal measure. Also, the volume rise allows some electrical signals to not fully interact at some sets, since there is an anomaly with [regular] configurations. This lack of interaction may not allow the interaction to continue the now existing depressive states in some sets. It may increase intensity at some other sets that may represent a better mood, striking those heavily into full access or configuration. This [good] for some sets may result in side effects at other sets, conceptually.
Anxiety can be explained by more than the usual high intensity of some electrical signals, in some sets. Delusions can be explained by a reduction in the amount of splits, as well as problems in interactions for signals for the function of memory, resulting in disconnection from reality.
Intrusive thoughts are caused by a large number of splits of electrical signals. When anxiety results in physical sensations, it is due to distributions, or splits, as well, to some sets that may not be so linked. Several interaction modes and attributes end up determining mental order and disorder.
All mental health conditions can be mechanistically explained this way. The purpose is to place the mind and be able to explore how to approach therapy. It will also be useful to explain addictions and several other mind states and possibilities for management away from many of the guesses currently.
AI
In neuroscience, there is what is called saltatory conduction, where some electrical signals leap and go faster. Splits are theorized to use this mechanism. Also, because of the large number of synapses, electrical signals often develop channels or paths of travel, becoming the evidence for sequences.
AI can also become a way to provide a display of the state of mind, explaining it with a video display to know why the mind is in a state at a given time. Also, it can be used to interpret everything in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), presenting answers with a chatbot or AI display.
There is a recent [May 5, 2025] story, $1B to support student mental health is gone. Schools fear what’s next. stating that, “The Education Department confirmed to K-12 Dive on Friday that it will not renew $1 billion in grants that were initially awarded to districts nationwide to improve students’ well-being by placing more mental health professionals in schools. The pullback from the federal grants comes as schools nationwide work to address and recover from the lingering student mental health crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated.”
There is recent [April 2, 2025] announcement, Statement from leading mental health and substance use organizations on drastic HHS staffing reductions, stating that, “As the nation’s leading mental health, suicide prevention, and substance use organizations, we are deeply alarmed by the widespread, immediate staffing cuts and dismantling of entire offices occurring at HHS. HHS’s critical work is vital to increasing access to mental health and substance use disorder care, improving suicide prevention efforts, stemming the opioid epidemic, and reimagining our nation’s mental health crisis response. HHS’s activities touch the lives of virtually all Americans and play a significant role in helping people impacted by mental health conditions and substance use disorders in local communities across the country.”
“However, these deep staffing cuts leave us with questions about how this vital, lifesaving work will continue — or how any of these changes would improve the mental health of Americans. The lack of clarity around these layoffs, compounded by the termination of staff who promote and ensure transparency across HHS, makes this situation even more dire. Our nation continues to face ongoing mental health, overdose, and suicide crises. As a country, we must ensure the functions of HHS and its agencies are able to continue their missions unimpeded to support the mental health of our communities as well as to focus on addressing chronic disease with a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention.”
“The following organizations joined this statement: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, Inseparable Legal Action Center (LAC), Mental Health America (MHA), National Association for Behavioral Healthcare National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH), National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD), The JED Foundation, Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC).”
This article was written for WHN by David Stephen currently does research in conceptual brain science with a focus on the electrical and chemical signals for how they mechanize the human mind with implications for mental health, disorders, neurotechnology, consciousness, learning, artificial intelligence, and nurture. He was a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN does not agree or disagree with any of the materials posted. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.
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