Metz’s model of Parkinson’s Disease is transient, and typically, the motor abilities of rats that receive the chemical lesion will spontaneously improve over time. But the researchers showed that even a moderate amount of stress can be harmful: animals with increased corticosterone levels – whether momentarily boosted by stressful environments, or chronically elevated by hormone injection – had continued difficulty with the skilled reaching task, long after the other animals had recovered.
Utilizing eye-opening studies like these, doctors and physicians are learning that stress is more than an emotional problem, deeper than a fleeting mental encumbrance. Our brains constantly rewire themselves throughout our lives, and are strongly driven by experiences, both positive and negative. And it seems that in certain situations, stress is an antagonist that can indeed leave an indelible mark on our brains.
But in stark contrast to the doom-and-gloom we’re accustomed to hearing about Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – disheartening research results, or news clips of drug trials where the latest molecular kryptonite has yet again failed – these reports highlight an environmental component of neurodegenerative disease that can, for once, be controlled. Just as many with high cholesterol levels now take preemptive action to stave off heart disease, one day people may use their APOE status, for instance, to make other necessary positive changes in their lives.
Are you a scientist? Have you recently read a peer-reviewed paper that you want to write about? Then contact Mind Matters co-editor Gareth Cook, a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist at the Boston Globe, where he edits the Sunday Ideas section. He can be reached at garethideas AT gmail.com
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Add CommentHaving recently developed Parkinson's I have been reading up on brain function, and this article dovetails nicely with other information. I hope that parents, teachers and administrators read this article because the stress that many students experience from parental pressures, academic standards and peer bullying or ostracism are likely having long term consequences for the students and for society.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThank you for the article. Positive news on gloomy conditions, at long last.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThat corticosteroids as well as adrenaline wreak damage on all organs of the body is obvious. Their purpose is to initiate the emergency response protocols which allow us to defend against or escape from imminent danger by activating the body's "afterburner" mechanisms. However, since Jurassic times, the survival of most land animals rarely depends on their remaining in constant 24/7 "battle mode", which by very definition, cannot possibly be done without damaging DNA. The human body, having evolved the intelligence to foresee and avoid mortal threat, thus is individually responsible for the amount of stress that it encounters. There can be no denying that a wanted criminal or a common denizen of a resource poor civilization suffers far greater stress than, say, the average Canadian. Highly educated and experienced people tend to handle conflicts without resorting to stressful confrontation or short-sighted solutions, and not surprisingly, suffer lower rates of dementia (resulting purely from neurological damage through stress induced corticosteroid exposure). Confinement in a restricted space, literally or figuratively, if known to be a major source of stress, should be outlawed. Zoos, full-time employment, neckties, government by the "ignorant and emotionally unstable" masses and marriage included.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHarmony with yourself is the answer to the problems of the mind and body that many suffer from in this society, to train yourself in positive thinking will help to clear the mind and body and bring about a state of harmony. Also compassion for others, be it be organic or inorganic matter.
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