Stress and memory go hand in hand
Stress can hamper an older person’s memory, according to a new international study. According to researchers, when older adults are tested in a medical or research setting, it may generate stress and negatively affect their cognitive ability. The study shows stress can “rapidly” affect memory.
Stress can hamper an older person’s memory, according to a new international study.
According to researchers, when older adults are tested in a medical or research setting, it may generate stress and negatively affect their cognitive ability.
The study, carried out at the University of Montreal in Canada, shows stress can “rapidly” affect memory.
“We know when a situation is new, unpredictable, and uncontrollable or threatening to the ego, it leads to the production of stress hormones,” lead author and PhD candidate, Shireen Sindi, says.
Researchers claim the same hormones have the ability to “reach the brain and generate acute memory disorder, especially in older adults”.
After assessing older adults under stressful conditions, these stress hormones were reportedly produced and therefore reduced their memory capacity.
According to Mr Sindi, when these tests were conducted in a ‘stress-free’ environment, where older adults were familiar with the surroundings, their memory performance was reportedly shown to be “no different” to that of young adults.
Mr Sindi says it is possible the findings of the study carried out in a “stressful context” may resemble those reached in the presence of an underlying disorder, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Do you become stressed in medical environments, such as at your local GP or hospital? Share your thoughts on the link between stress and memory difficulties by commenting in the box below.
