Study, Prolonged Stress Linked to Memory Loss

Photo: marianna_armata / flickr / cc by-nc-nd

• Hippocampus responsible for memory and emotion
• Study, chronic stress linked cognitive short-term memory loss;
  • Suggesting loss, a result of immune cell (macrophages) inflammation in hippocampus
• Researchers established this by:
  • Repeatedly stressful stimulation on mice, finding:
    • Stressed, mice couldn't remember exits
    • Non-stressed, mice found maze exits
• Significance of the research:
  • May help develop treatments for
    • Anxiety (a mental illness)
      • A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease
    • Depression (a mental illness)
      • Pervasive and persistent low mood, self-esteem
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (a mental illness)
      • A condition that's triggered by a terrifying event
• Published in the Journal of Neuroscience