Stress and Brain Development

Stress causes problems in all kinds of human body systems. Stress hormones have been linked to a reduction in brain neurogenesis, or memory cell replacement in the human brain, located in the hippocampus. (Schoenfeld, TJ 2012). Chronic stress can arise after a TBI injury. Other research has shown that when animals are lowered in the pecking order of their society, there is a great increase in stress hormones. TBI victims who lose cognitive ability suffer personality changes, and financial devastation, are commonly and suddenly thrown into a lower societal level. Thus, this additional stress worsens the conditions already present in the injured TBI victim. Studies have shown that TBI victims with more supportive families, obviously, do much better. Perhaps this alleviates some of the stress hormones.