Response to Stress and Your Brain

Response to Stress and Your Brain
AnnaMarie Allen
I thought this article was interesting because it shows how with more research we can potentially stop PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a condition where after some traumatic event, a plane crash, war, witnessing murder, rape, etc the witness or victim suffers from flashbacks, nightmares, emotional issues, don't take pleasure in the things they used to, problems with reflexes, and problems with memory and concentration. This condition has been linked to a smaller hippocampus. To figure out why certain people get PTSD researchers still have to see if people with already smaller hippocampi will get PTSD, or if the hippocampus gets smaller after the trauma. With the damage to the hippocampus goes the glucocorticoids, which are chemicals the brain secrets during stress. They are supposed to help you survive in stressful situations. With high levels of these chemicals in the brain it has been shown to be harmful to the neurons in the brain, which receptors for that chemical are concentrated highly in the hippocampus.
I think that once they do determine who is susceptible to PTSD, they should be all means take that knowledge to screen for people who go into stressful jobs. By stressful I mean encountering death and danger, like soldiers, policemen, firemen, etc. Them having a higher risk of getting PTSD shouldn't mean they can't join that profession if they still want to, but they should at least be aware of their risks. Most soldiers wouldn't trade all of the effects of PTSD, which severely affect their lives after war possibly for the rest of their life, for a safer job. They can still serve their country in other ways if that is what they wish to do.
This article also mentioned what everyday stress that most people face does. In physical events that don't last very long, like watching the 911 footage on the news as it was happening, we remember better. However, the stress caused by having a load of bills to pay doesn't help memory and is bad for health because of things like blood pressure. The tip it gave about getting stressed about an exam is pretty useful in college. Don't be nervous days ahead of the exam, because then glucocorticoids build up and cause forgetfulness. Rather, be nervous while you are taking the exam because the adrenaline will help you.