Stress, which we experience at every moment of our lives, unfortunately affects our entire body. The brain leads the way in this sense.

Bride How Underestimated Stress Affects the Brain let’s see.

Stress; It has a significant impact on the size, structure and functioning of the brain.

Stress is a series of communications between endocrine glands in the brain and the kidneys. It starts with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. When the brain detects a stressful situation, the HPA axis is immediately activated.

It then secretes a hormone called cortisol, which prepares the body for a sudden action. However, prolonged high levels Cortisol can, in effect, destroy the brain.

Chronic stress affects the fear center in the brain. It increases the number of neural connections and activity in the amygdala.

As cortisol levels rise, the brain will; Electrical signals in the hippocampus, which are related to learning, memory and stress management, are worsened.

In addition, the hippocampus inhibits the activity of the HPA axis.

When these activities weaken, The ability to manage stress weakens. In addition, cortisol can cause a significant reduction in brain size.

Much of this is due to the loss of synaptic connections between neurons and the brain; It causes problems in controlling behavior such as concentration, judgment, decision-making and social communication.

So hippocampus cannot produce enough brain cellsAs a result, chronic stress makes it harder to learn and remember. It brings depression and eventually Alzheimer’s disease becomes inevitable.

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