Stress makes the brain shrink

How does stress in middle age affect you??

Stress can have negative effects on the body and mind. Researchers now found that middle-aged stress can even shrink the brain and worsen memory.

The scientists at the internationally acclaimed Harvard Medical School found in their current research that stress has a very negative effect on the brain and memory. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Neurology".

Stress from working life is widespread today. Researchers found that stress can shrink the brain and also negatively affect memory. (Image: Kaspars Grinvalds / fotolia.com)

High cortisol levels may indicate a risk of dementia

The memory-reducing effects of stress, found in people without dementia between the ages of 40 and 50, are related to the stress hormone cortisol. High levels of the hormone can be an early warning sign that sufferers develop dementia later in life.

What can sufferers do with elevated cortisol levels??

For their study, the scientists studied 2,231 people with a mean age of 49 years, who were not suffering from dementia. In the study, a reduction in memory and even a shrinkage of the brain was found, explains study author Dr. Justin Echouffo-Tcheugui from Harvard Medical School in Boston. Therefore, it is particularly important that people find ways to reduce their stress, such as adequate sleep, moderate training and relaxation techniques. You can also consult your doctor about your cortisol level and then take a cortisol-reducing medication. Physicians should be sure to advise all patients with a high level of cortisol enough about their potential effects, the researchers add.

Which examinations were carried out on the participants?

At the beginning of the study, each subject's memory and thinking skills were reviewed. Eight years later, such a test was performed again. 2,018 participants were additionally subjected to so-called magnetic resonance tomography in order to measure the volume of their brain.

A high cortisol level was associated with a smaller brain volume

The results were then adjusted to age, gender, smoking and body mass. The researchers found that people with higher cortisol levels scored lower in memory and memory tests. In addition, subjects with a higher cortisol level had a smaller brain volume, with participants with high cortisol levels accounting for 88.5 percent of the total brain volume. In humans with a normal hormone level, the brain's share was 88.7 percent of the total skull volume

What is the role of cortisol??

Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands. The hormone is released by in response to stress. The so-called stress hormone can also help to reduce inflammation, control blood sugar and blood pressure, regulate metabolism and support the immune response. High cortisol levels can be caused by stress, illness or medication. Cortisol affects many different functions, so it is important to fully investigate the effects that high levels of the hormone can have on the brain, adds Dr. Echouffo-Tcheugui added. (As)