Title: Effects of Stress on Memory and the Hippocampus | Sanesco Health
Headings: Effects of Stress on Memory and the Hippocampus
Effects of Stress on Memory and the Hippocampus
Stress and the HPA Axis
Effects of Stress on the Hippocampus
Effects of Stress on Memory and Damage to the Hippocampus
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Sophie Thompson
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Content: 9
This balance of cortisol promoting information flow but hindering hippocampus function during times of stress is necessary for a healthy response to stress. Effects of Stress on Memory and Damage to the Hippocampus
Chronic stress can cause long-term damage to the hippocampus. In fact, the hippocampus itself has been shown to shrink in size in people suffering from an ongoing HPA axis stress response. 10
Nerve cells, the body’s way of conducting information and signals from one part to another, are typically highly branched or elongated. Stress causes reduced nerve branching and development and even causes nerve cell death in the hippocampus. 11 Nerve cells are also less elongated in individuals with stressful lifestyles or who grew up in a stressful household. 12
The GRs in the hippocampus become overactivated with ongoing stress, which prevents nerve cell excitation. 13 The combination of hippocampus shrinkage, nerve cell damage, and overactivation of GRs causes an inability to retrieve and form memories. 14 This explains why both short and long-term stress can cause negative effects like memory lapses and poor focus. It is common for people to be incapable of recalling the details of a traumatic event, which is why it can be inconclusive to put victims of heinous crimes on trial or to ask a driver the details of a car wreck.