Title: Schizophrenia and Stress
Headings: Schizophrenia and Stress
STRESS
Schizophrenia and Stress
Schizophrenia Is a Group of Disorders
The "Two-hit" Theory of the Origin of Schizophrenia
A Diverse Illness
The Effects of Stress on the Body and on the Brain
Stress, Cortisol, Memory and the Hippocampus
New Possibilities for the Treatment of Schizophrenia
Conclusion

Content: In fact, there is a direct link between how these veterans perform on standard memory tests and the size of their hippocampus. Stress and cortisol have been shown to damage -- and even destroy -- nerve cells in the hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory. These elements of the stress cascade -- excessive cortisol production, damage to the hippocampus and impairment in certain types of memory related to the hippocampus, all occur commonly in patients with schizophrenia. Research has shown that patients with schizophrenia have smaller hippocampal volumes than people without the disease. This is backed up by studies that have found that individuals with schizophrenia suffer from problems in areas of brain functions that are associated with the hippocampus, such as memory and the ability to coordinate and carry out tasks. Stress, Cortisol, Memory and the Hippocampus
A number of studies in the last several years have confirmed a strong connection between stress, high cortisol levels, damage to the hippocampus and memory. This connection shows up across a wide range of human medical conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Cushing's disease, overexposure to steroid drugs, aging and depression. For example, combat veterans with PTSD suffer a loss of hippocampal volume. In fact, there is a direct link between how these veterans perform on standard memory tests and the size of their hippocampus. Adult survivors of childhood abuse also have both smaller hippocampi and impaired memory.