Sentence:  In view of the important role which emotional disturbances play in the genesis of neurotic and psychotic disorders and the parallelism observed between autonomic states and psychological behavior in several instances , it is further suggested that a hypothalamic imbalance may play an important role in <WSD>initiating</WSD> mental changes . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of