How does stress affect the brain?

As we approach the end of the year, we find ourselves at a time when we usually take stock of the year we have lived and analyze whether we have fulfilled our plans and whether or not we have achieved what we had previously planned. On the other hand, it is a phase of the year in which there are parties and meetings with loved and unloved people. It is also a time when economic analysis is made, usually we evaluate if we make ends meet, since it involves a greater economic outlay than at other times of the year, and the employment situation is also evaluated more frequently. All this determines that we are facing a time of greater concern and this can generate stress.

What is stress?

Stress is a physiological situation that occurs in response to environmental and bodily stimuli, including psychological ones. It supposes a situation of alertness that arises evolutionarily, first in the face of dangerous situations, and that, as the brain volume (mainly the premotor cortex) develops and increases, stress situations are also incorporated in the face of psychological stimuli. This determines a bodily imbalance that we try to balance by means of homeostasis (capacity to maintain a stable condition).

Stress can be acute or chronic. Acute stress is characterized by an increased secretion of adrenaline, noradrenaline and later cortisol, which increases blood pressure, heart rate, determining an increase in metabolism, decreasing the immune response, increasing the inflammatory response and the availability of glucose and hormonal balance. This generates a “brain alert”, mainly due to an increase in cortisol and inflammatory response and thus free radicals, which has an effect on the hippocampus and brain connections.

The stress response can be of two types:

  • Assertive: there is a balance between rational (prefrontal) and emotional processes, the latter depending on the amygdala, a structure located in the anteromedial part of the temporal lobe and which fundamentally influences memory. This balance determines our response to short and long term decisions.
  • Emotional: with an increase in pathological emotion, in which we act more instinctively. This can lead to an increase in anxiety and depression and, as emotional responses predominate over rational ones, to an increase in impulsivity, anguish and a secondary decrease in attention and immediate memory.
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Can stress lead to neurological disease?

As mentioned above, acute and chronic stress depend on the release of cortisol. In its acute phase, they increase heart rate, lung capacity to take up oxygen and decrease the immune response; if it is more chronic, the inflammatory response that influences systemic oxidative stress plays a more important role.

Stress depends on the balance between reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and the ability to neutralize them by antioxidants, both endogenous and exogenous, which depend on diet and can also be influenced by the use of drugs.

At the brain level, stress can affect the morphology and metabolism of the brain, affecting the neurotransmitters involved in the synapses, modifying brain plasticity and the regenerative capacity of our brain. This can cause problems such as neuronal damage, decreased brain volume, alterations in cerebral blood flow, which can lead to the generation or worsening of neurological diseases. It also leads to a decrease in the release of endorphins, a compound with neuroendocrine action that produces a feeling of well-being.

Thus, it has been demonstrated that stress can influence the appearance of neurological diseases, among which the following stand out:

  • Migraine or migraine attacks.
  • Tension headache in its episodic and chronic aspects.
  • Epileptic seizures
  • Stroke
  • Neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
  • Caregiver syndrome
  • Mental health diseases (anxiety, depression, anguish, etc.).

How can stress be managed?

It should be taken into account that stress control can depend on us or be external. For example, a person with economic difficulties, in social exclusion or an immigrant, will improve his stress level when his social conditions improve. As for what depends on us, the following measures are recommended:

  • Healthy and balanced diet (as an example the Mediterranean diet).
  • Regular exercise (doing sports according to our needs).
  • Resting well
  • Lead a healthy life
  • Be aware of the situation and organize yourself
  • Taking time for oneself
  • Perform artistic activities
  • Doing those activities that we feel like doing and in other situations we cannot do.