CNN
—
A new study finds that people with high stress levels are more likely to experience cognitive decline, affecting their ability to remember, concentrate, and learn new things.
Stress is known to put physical strain on the body, increasing the risk of things like stroke and a weakened immune response.
of studyPresented at the JAMA Network Open on Tuesday, researchers found that participants with high stress levels were more likely to have uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors and poor lifestyle factors.
But even after adjusting for many of these physical risk factors, researchers found that people with high stress levels were 37% more likely to have cognitive decline.
A person suffering from memory loss may be stressed because of the challenges it poses. But the new research also suggests a reverse link, where feelings of stress have detrimental effects on cognition, says co-author of the study and associate professor of preventive medicine and epidemiology at Emory University. Dr. Ambar Kulshreshtha said. .
“Stress not only worsens current cognitive performance, it can actually have long-term detrimental effects.
The new study builds on data from a long-term, federally-funded study aimed at understanding disparities in brain health, particularly among blacks and those living in parts of the South known as the “stroke zone.” Based on Thousands of participants were asked to self-assessment of stress, surveyed on standardized assessments of cognitive function, and checked in regularly over a decade.
The relationship between stress and cognitive function is a ‘vicious cycle,’ says Dr. Amy Arnsten, professor of neuroscience at Yale School of Medicine.
“These stress signaling pathways are released and rapidly impair higher cognitive functions in the prefrontal cortex, including working memory,” said Arnsten, who studies the effects of stress on the brain. is not involved in the new research.
“When you have chronic stress, you actually lose gray matter in your prefrontal cortex. It’s an area that gives.”
In the new study, the association between increased stress and cognitive decline was similar for both black and white participants, although black participants reported higher levels of stress overall.
“Blacks report more exposure to chronic stressors such as discrimination,” the study’s authors wrote. “This finding suggests that high levels of perceived stress increase the risk of cognitive decline, regardless of race.”
Previous studies have shown that black adults are about 50% more likely to stroke Older blacks are about twice as likely as white adults Alzheimer’s disease Or another dementia.
Although stress has also been found to increase steadily with age, this study showed that the association between stress and cognitive function was relatively consistent across ages. Age ranged from 45 to 98 years at the time of the most recent assessment.
People with a family history are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, but that’s not the only risk factor.
There are about 10 identified as modifiable risk factors, or factors that can be changed to reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Stress should be considered one of those factors, Kulshreshtha said, and he and his fellow researchers recommend regular screening for stress in primary care settings to minimize that risk. and called for targeted intervention.
“For dementia, treatments are few, very expensive, and not readily available, so the best way to deal with dementia is prevention,” said Krushleshta.
“Stress is everywhere. But there are tools that aid our ability to manage and reduce stress.”
