Early Hippocampal Volume Loss As a Marker of Eventual Memory Deficits Caused by Repeated Stress

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2016 Jul 5

PMID 27374165

Citations 29

Authors

Mohammed Mostafizur Rahman

Charlotte K Callaghan

Christian M Kerskens

Sumantra Chattarji

Shane M OMara

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Exposure to severe and prolonged stress has detrimental effects on the hippocampus. However, relatively little is known about the gradual changes in hippocampal structure, and its behavioral consequences, over the course of repeated stress. Behavioral analyses during 10 days of chronic stress pointed to a delayed decline in spatial memory, the full impact of which is evident only after the end of stress. In contrast, concurrent volumetric measurements in the same animals revealed significant reduction in hippocampal volumes in stressed animals relative to their unstressed counterparts, as early as the third day of stress. Notably, animals that were behaviorally the worst affected at the end of chronic stress suffered the most pronounced early loss in hippocampal volume. Together, these findings support the view that not only is smaller hippocampal volume linked to stress-induced memory deficits, but it may also act as an early risk factor for the eventual development of cognitive impairments seen in stress-related psychiatric disorders.

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