Stress May Shrink Your Brain

Sunday, March 29, 2009 - Byron J. Richards, CCN

Following up on human studies relating to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new animal study lends proof to the theory that too much stress actually shrinks nerve cells and disconnects them, a cellular finding that goes along with the feeling of learned helplessness (depression).

Researchers are beginning to amass significant data that links depression and stress disorders to physical changes in nerve cell health.  In this new research at Yale University the findings suggest that in learned helplessness, an animal model for depression and PTSD, stress-related reductions in synapses in the hippocampus are directly related to the emergence of depression-like behavior.  These data help to make the case that stress-related changes in the structure of nerve cells may have important behavioral consequences.

Remember, your brain runs on energy.  B vitamins are your basic stress-fighting tool, and many other nutrients can lend a hand for more intense or ongoing stress. 

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