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Effects of stress hormones on the brain and cognition: Evidence from normal to pathological aging
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Effects of stress hormones on the brain and cognition: Evidence from normal to pathological aging

Juliana Nery de Souza-Talarico, Marie-France Marin, Shireen Sindi and Sonia J Lupien
Dementia & neuropsychologia, Vol.5(1), pp.8-16
2011
DOI: 10.1590/S1980-57642011DN05010003
PMCID: PMC5619133
PMID: 29213714
url
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1980-57642011DN05010003View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated a wide cognitive variability among aged individuals. One factor thought to be associated with this heterogeneity is exposure to chronic stress throughout life. Animal and human evidence demonstrates that glucocorticoids (GCs), the main class of stress hormones, are strongly linked to memory performance whereby elevated GC levels are associated with memory performance decline in both normal and pathological cognitive aging. Accordingly, it is believed that GCs may increase the brain’s vulnerability to the effects of internal and external insults, and thus may play a role in the development of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The aim of this review article was to investigate the effects of GCs on normal and pathological cognitive aging by showing how these hormones interact with different brain structures involved in cognitive abilities, subsequently worsen memory performance, and increase the risk for developing dementia.
memory glucocorticoids aging Alzheimer’s disease Views & Reviews

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