5 Ways Stress Affects The Brain

Stress is part of the daily life of most people, if not all. Although a certain level of stress can be positive, the truth is that suffering it excessively and chronically can seriously affect our health, in a wide variety of ways.

Faced with stress, the brain goes through a series of reactions whose objective is to mobilize its defense mechanisms and protect itself against threats. Among the harmful effects that stress can have on the body, perhaps the least known are the effects on the brain. Our brain can be affected by stress in a number of ways.

Stress kills brain cells

In a study by researchers at Rosalind Franklin University researchers found that a single stressful event can kill neurons in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the area of ​​the brain associated with memory, emotions and learning, and one of the areas where new neurons are formed throughout life.

In the experiments, carried out with rats, it was observed that rats subjected to stressful events had cortisol levels up to six times higher than those of rats that had not suffered a stressful event.

Young rats subjected to low levels of stress were also found to have generated the same number of new neurons as those that had not experienced stress. However, there was a marked reduction in the number of nerve cells a week later. That is, while stress did not appear to influence the formation of new neurons, it did affect the cells that survived.

Chronic stress increases the risk of mental illness

Research by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that chronic stress can cause long-term changes in the brain. The researchers suggest that this could help explain why people with chronic stress are also more prone to anxiety and mood disorders throughout their lives.

The researchers found that stress creates more myelin-producing cells, but fewer cells than normal. The result is an excess of myelin in certain areas of the brain, which interferes with the synchronization and balance of communication in different areas of the brain.

Stress causes changes in the structure of the brain

Building on previous research, the scientists also found that chronic stress can cause long-term changes in brain structure and brain function.

The brain is made up of gray matter and white matter, areas with their own responsibilities. Gray matter is responsible for thinking, making decisions, and solving problems. White matter connects all regions of the brain to promote communication between them.

The white matter is surrounded by myelin, which speeds up the signals that are used to transmit the information. When myelin is produced in excess , an imbalance between gray matter and white matter occurs, which can cause brain changes. 

Stress reduces brain size

Stress can cause the contraction of brain areas associated with the regulation of emotions, self-control, metabolism and memory, according to various research samples.

According to research from Yale University, chronic stress alone does not appear to have much of an impact on brain volume, although it can make people more vulnerable to brain shrinkage when they experience sudden, intense stressful events.

Stress can affect memory

We mentioned earlier that stress can affect memory. According to various studies, stress can affect spatial memory, including the ability to remember information about the location of objects and orientation in space.

It has also been proven that stress hinders memory recovery and that elevated levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) are related to decreased short-term memory.