Introduction
Stress occurs throughout human life regardless of the age. While there is no single definition of stress, one of the common definitions posits that stress is the strain from the conflict between an individual and his or her external environment that result in physical and emotional pressure (Sekita-Krzak et al., 2016). It can also be defined as any intrinsic or extrinsic stimulus that triggers a biological response. Stress has benefits and negative effects either of which depends on the perception of an individual. Psychological and neuroscientific studies have revealed that chronic stress has the effect of deteriorating the memory besides increasing the risk of occurrence of mental illnesses such as anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, and depression among other diseases (Sekita-Krzak et al., 2016). This paper uses four sources to investigate the effects of stress on brain.
Physical Effects of Stress on the Brain
It is easy to identify the physical effects of stress on the brain. The hypothalamus, found in the top part of the brain stem, is the origin of the stress of the brain (Ressler & Smoller, 2016). The hypothalamus helps in the regulation of various processes in the body such as dispersing the hormones into the bloodstream and regulating the temperature of the body. The hypothalamus and the adrenal glands (responsible for secreting the adrenal glands) and the pituitary gland (which controls the human endocrine system) have a dynamic relationship. The adrenal glands and the pituitary gland are essential in disease prevention and maintaining of hormonal balance of the body (Ressler & Smoller, 2016). These two glands are also very useful in the fight-or-flight of self-preservation of the body. Stress reactions originate from the hypothalamus as natural response to stressful social, psychological and physical conditions.
Effects of Stress on Memory
Another vital area of the mind that stress affects is the memory. Research have established that brain areas associated with memory are sensitive to stress (McEwen, 2017). The consequence of stress can result is a serious dissociation and fragmentation of the memory since stress affects the hippocampus that controls the memory. Also, other studies point that the release of cortisol during stress causes impairing of the memory, whereas the adrenaline increases memory. When one is stressed out, the body produces excessive amounts of cortisol (McEwen, 2017). This increases the activity in the amygdala, which is the part of the brain responsible for fear processing. When the brain has a fight-or-flight response, it will be in a constant state of reacting to a threat. This makes it difficult for the person to take in any new information.
Effect of Stress on Perception and Thinking
An individual's perception and thinking can also be affected significantly by chronic stress. Neuropsychological studies have established that there are common thinking patterns among individuals under chronic life stress (Habib, 2017). These patterns of thinking affect the individuals' perceptions of the world and to a larger extent have a negative control of these people's emotions. These thought patterns are destructive, inaccurate, and they also worsened the level of distress instead of alleviating them. For example, judgments of a person under distress are clouded with overgeneralization and jumping into conclusion.
According to Habib (2017) many studies have established the damaging effects of stress on the nervous system. These studies point that stress can change the structure of various brain parts. Chronic stress triggers brain mass atrophy and reduce its weight. These changes to the brain structure affect the response to stress, memory, and cognition.
Pathophysiological Changes and Disorders Associated with Stress
Exposure to stress is also associated with pathophysiological changes in the brain, which are displayed as mood, cognitive, and behavioral disorders. Other disorders such as IL-6 and cortisol plasma are also linked with chronic stress. Habib (2017) notes studies from animals indicate that neurodegenerative processes, neuroamine and neuroendocrine factors are responsible for the cognitive disorders.
Effect of Stress on Cognition
Another important brain feature that is affected by stress is cognition. Cognition refers to the perception and reception of the perceived stimulus and how it is interpreted, which includes the judgment, attention, decision-making, and learning (Habib, 2017). The effect of stress on cognition depends on the magnitude, origin, duration, and the intensity of the stress. As is the case in memory, cognition is majorly formed in the temporal lobe, amygdala, and the hippocampus. The overall effect of stress on cognition is that it lowers cognition. This is the reason why it is always argued that the behavioral measures aimed at reducing stress also improve the cognition.
Conclusion
To sum up, the effects of stress can be debilitating and damaging. The hormones released during stress can affect the structure and therefore the normal functioning of the brain. Stress affects three major functionalities of the brain namely, the memory, the cognitive ability, and the structure of the brain. Various mental disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, and depression among other diseases. Stress is also harmful as it affects behavior and impairs judgment. Chronic stress is associated with discontent and frustrations. While the neuropsychology of stress and the brain has not been exhaustive, enough evidence has been presented indicating that chronic stress is detrimental to the human brain.
References
McEwen, B. S. (2017). Neurobiological and systemic effects of chronic stress. Chronic Stress, 1, 2470547017692328.
Ressler, K. J., " Smoller, J. W. (2016). Impact of Stress on the Brain: Pathology, Treatment and Prevention.
Sekita-Krzak, J., Żebrowska-Łupina, I., Łupina, T., Czajkowski, L., Cichacz-Kwiatkowska, B., " Robaczewska, J. (2016). Effects of chronic stress on the brain–the evidence from morphological examinations of hippocampus in a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) model in rats. Journal of Education, Health and Sport, 6(12), 384-399.
Habib Yaribeygi, Y. P. (2017). The Impact of Stress on Body Function: A Review. EXCLI journal, 1057-1072
