Getting stressed 'good for the brain'
Acute stress can enhance memory, a new study suggests
A new study has highlighted something that many people hope their bosses never find out – stress can be good for you.
Researchers at the University of Buffalo (UB) in New York found in trials that some stressful incidents could enhance memory by impacting on the hormone corticosterone in the brain's prefrontal cortex, which controls emotion and learning.
However, people should not be concerned they are set for an imminent increase in workload, as it was found that only short sharp bursts of stress created such a reaction.
Scientists came to the conclusion by training rats to complete a maze over two days. The animals were then put through a 20-minute swim – which will have caused acute stress – before being placed in the maze once again.
It was then found that stressed rodents made fewer mistakes when completing the puzzle compared to their non-stressed counterparts.
The findings build on research published by experts from the University of California last year, which also uncovered similar results related to the impact of stress on the brain.
Zhen Yan, professor of physiology and biophysics at UB and senior author of the latest study, said stress can have "both protective and damaging effects".
He added: "This paper and others we have in the pipeline explain why we need stress to perform better, but don't want to be stressed out."
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