Visualizing the effect of stress on the brain
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By Tim Sandle 4 hours ago in Science
What happens to the brain when a person undergoes a stressful event? What the longer-term effects of a condition like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? These questions have been recently examined by scientists.
The long-term effects are of greatest interest. When a person goes through a major stressful event, such as a bereavement, the effects of the stress can last for years. With some people, they can go through several major stressful events and come out relatively unaffected; whereas with other people, one significant stressful event seems to cause long-term mental health issues. These differenced appear to come down to physiological changes.
The new research has been conducted in India and the focus has been on molecular changes in the brain. These changes can be permanent or transitory. The findings from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) in Bangalore indicate that alterations in the electrical activity in the brain, in the amygdala region, occurs after a stressful event. However, the changes are not always immediate, sometimes happening ten days after the stressful event has taken place.
Read more:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/visualizing-the-effect-of-stress-on-the-brain/article/483197#ixzz4VC0YwTvo
