Abstract
We present a broad overview of the role of the brain as both a regulator and a target of the stress response. The brain initiates and regulates physiological, behavioral, and psychological responses to stressors via the release of stress mediators, which in turn can impact proximal and distal brain structure and function. We begin by describing two primary peripheral stress effector systems: the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which initiates a rapid fight-or-flight response, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which mediates a slower neuroendocrine stress response. We then discuss regulation of these peripheral stress effector systems by the central stress-regulatory network, including the role of the central network in five mechanistic processes: stressor detection, stress response generation, regulation, and termination and finally the psychological component of the stress response. Next, we outline the neurobiological effects of acute and chronic stress exposure, with particular attention to the temporal relation between initial and later phases of the stress response. Finally, having laid the basic neurobiological framework, we discuss the effects of stress on higher-order cognitive processing. Throughout, we aim to show that behavioral, cognitive, and neuroplastic changes due to chronic stress represent sometimes overactive adaptations to a stressful environment and can become at least partially reversed after a stress-free period, or as a result of mindfulness-based interventions.
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Neuroimaging of Acute Stress: Suggested Reading
Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Dedovic, K., D'Aguiar, C., & Pruessner, J. C. (2009). What stress does to your brain: A review of neuroimaging studies. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54(1), 6–15.
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Kleshchova, O., Weierich, M.R. (2021). The Neurobiology of Stress. In: Hazlett-Stevens, H. (eds) Biopsychosocial Factors of Stress, and Mindfulness for Stress Reduction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81245-4_2
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