Genes determine which tracks leave stress

09/10/2014

Researchers were able to show that individual genetic conditions are responsible for the effect of stress on our emotional centers. They revealed that a complex interplay of depressive gene variants and life events determines the effect of stress on the hippocampus.

The hippocampus is considered the central interface in stress management. He is known to be very sensitive to stress. In stress, which is interpreted as a danger to the organism, it loses volume, which is often observed in depressed patients and is responsible for some of the clinical symptoms. In turn, positive stress can even increase the volume of the hippocampus.

How adverse life events affect the size of the hippocampus, according to study results does not depend solely on the environmental factors. It is the genes that determine whether one and the same life event leads to an increase or decrease in hippocampal volume, and thus determine whether the stress is good or bad for our brain. The more risk genes a person owns, the more negative they are „Life Events“ on the size of the hippocampus. With no or only a few risk genes, this life event can even have a positive effect. (Pm)

Picture: Gerd Altmann, Pixelio