Chronic stress and anxiety can damage the brain

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/bcfg-csa012116.php

Public Release: 21-Jan-2016
Chronic stress and anxiety can damage the brain
...Increase the risk of major psychiatric disorders
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

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Experiencing anxiety, fear and stress is considered a normal part of life when it is occasional and temporary, such as feeling anxious and stressed before an exam or a job interview. However, when those acute emotional reactions become more frequent or chronic, they can significantly interfere with daily living activities such as work, school and relationships. Chronic stress is a pathological state that is caused by prolonged activation of the normal acute physiological stress response, which can wreak havoc on immune, metabolic and cardiovascular systems, and lead to atrophy of the brain's hippocampus (crucial for long-term memory and spatial navigation).

"Pathological anxiety and chronic stress are associated with structural degeneration and impaired functioning of the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which may account for the increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and dementia," said Dr. Linda Mah, clinician scientist with Baycrest's Rotman Research Institute and lead author of the review.

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Dr. Mah, an assistant professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, concluded her review on a hopeful note by suggesting that stress-induced damage to the hippocampus and PFC is "not completely irreversible". Anti-depressant treatment and physical activity have both been found to increase hippocampal neurogenesis, she said.

"Looking to the future, we need to do more work to determine whether interventions, such as exercise, mindfulness training and cognitive behavioural therapy, can not only reduce stress but decrease the risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders," said Dr. Mah

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