What impact does stress have on the growing brain?
In: Biology
[According to Psychologist Daniela Kaufer,](https://www.verywellmind.com/surprising-ways-that-stress-affects-your-brain-2795040) when it comes to [stress](https://www.tuw.edu/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/), there are two kinds, broadly speaking. The first kind can be called “good stress”, which is the kind of stress you experience when you are completing a challenging task or getting through a workout. The second kind of stress is chronic stress, which is marked by a pattern of stress over a long period of time.
Chronic stress could be induced by a demanding job, growing up in a bad home environment, being in a toxic relationship, etc. Chronic stress puts a lot of strain on the brain, causing a host of problems. To understand these problems better, we first need to understand the structure of the brain.
The brain is made of neurons (cells that carry electrical signals) and cells supporting these neurons. Depending on the kind of cells supporting the neurons, we get what is known as “gray matter” and “white matter” in the brain. [“Gray matter”](https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/articles/gray-matter-vs-white-matter-322973) is responsible for functions such as attention, memory, thought, and emotional control. This contrasts with [“white matter,”](https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/articles/gray-matter-vs-white-matter-322973) which essentially acts as the wires connecting areas of gray matter in the brain together. White matter gets its name from the fatty white substance known as [myelin](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002261.htm) that covers parts of the neuron, speeding up signals.
[Researchers at UC Berkeley](https://news.berkeley.edu/2014/02/11/chronic-stress-predisposes-brain-to-mental-illness/) found that chronic stress alters brain structure by increasing the production of myelin-producing cells while decreasing the production of new neurons. This imbalance of white and gray matter in the brain ends up [decreasing one’s abilities in memory, decision-making, and emotional control](https://www.verywellmind.com/surprising-ways-that-stress-affects-your-brain-2795040). While the effects of this imbalance are relevant to people of all ages, they are especially impactful to children with developing brains.
According to Mark Cloutier, executive director of San Francisco-based Center for Youth Wellness, [kids who have been exposed to a large amount of chronic stress have damaged prefrontal cortexes.](https://youthtoday.org/2016/05/teen-stress-and-the-growing-brain/#:~:text=Chronic%20exposure%20to%20stress%20can,based%20Center%20for%20Youth%20Wellness.) The [prefrontal cortex ](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/prefrontal-cortex#:~:text=The%20prefrontal%20cortex%20is%20the%20association%20cortex%20of%20the%20frontal%20lobe.&text=The%20Orbitomedial%20cortex%20is%20involved,is%20involved%20in%20cognitive%20functions.)is mostly made up of gray matter, and acts as the executive control center of the brain (think like the CEO of the brain). When this area of the brain is damaged, [our ability to solve complex problems, think ahead, and control our emotions becomes inhibited](https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/2014/5/16/know-your-brain-prefrontal-cortex#:~:text=Patients%20with%20prefrontal%20cortex%20damage,and%20the%20inhibition%20of%20impulses.&text=Patients%20with%20prefrontal%20cortex%20damage%20can%20experience%20blunted%20emotional%20responses,their%20ability%20to%20make%20decisions.).
TLDR: Chronic stress during brain development stunts our abilities to solve complex problems, think ahead, and control emotions.
Heyo, training teacher here. This isn’t quite the full answer, but I think it’s an aspect. When your stressed, your brain produces a hormone that essentially shuts down your ability to learn. It’s why typically education workers advise avoiding cram studying (amongst other reasons).
Boil it down, if someone is stressed it’s gonna impact their learning, which can be problematic if the concept is foundational to an area of importance.
That’s how I think about it anyway.
(Also, sorry about the fuzziness of terminology, it’s been a little while since I did the course and it wasn’t a very good one at that.).
The first answer is pretty spot on. I did a research paper and I talked about healthy stress. There’s been studies that showed chronic stress causes heart issues, cancer, etc. Basically when growing up it’s good to have healthy stress such as a term paper being due, exam, interviews. However when someone has child hood trauma it triggers your body to be constantly stress. Your stress level will be stuck at a high level 24/7, now imagine that and then imagine when a healthy stress happens your stress level went from a “level 8” to a “level 10”. Compared to someone that grew up with a nice childhood their level went from a 0 to a 2. This is why some kids that grow up in an abusive home don’t do well on tests because their stress isn’t at a “gotta pass this test level” it went straight to a “I’m going to die” level.
I wrote this paper ten years ago so I hope I got it right lol it’s crazy how it physically alters your brain too!
Ps you can also imagine being chased by a bear you have the fight or flight response right? Now imagine that feeling 24/7 that’s how chronic stress affects people. So when something small happens it will have a big affect on them.
stress can definitely affect developing perceptions and interpretations which can lead to a negative outlook on the future and cause unwarranted anxieties.
A developing brain involves making connections based on new stimuli from the environment. Just like a drought would keep a tree from flourishing and making new branches, stress would keep a developing brain from making and strengthening new connections, or synapses.
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Chronic stress also significantly impacts overall physical health and puts children at greater risk of all chronic health conditions. Imagine a car in neutral with the gas petal down non-stop. Stress wears on your body in a similar way. If you’re interested, check out the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACES). 20 years of frightening research on the impact of chronic stress. Trauma is one of the most expensive things we are dealing with as a society by far!!
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[Gabor Mate,](https://drgabormate.com/) a canadian physician, has suggested in several books that stress and trauma in younger children may lead to a poor emotional regulation and to problems later in life. Mate has notably [linked addictions to trauma in childhood](https://drgabormate.com/book/in-the-realm-of-hungry-ghosts/) (not every time, but it might be one of the factors).
In his book [When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection](https://drgabormate.com/book/when-the-body-says-no/), Mate builds a compelling argument linking stress to autoimmune diseases and certain forms of cancer.
If you want to read further, I highly recommend you check his books and podcasts. He’s a fascinating thinker and a very clear explainer.
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