|
|
Effects of early-life stress on development of cognitive abilities
Lukavská, Markéta ; Landová, Eva (advisor) ; Svoboda, Jan (referee)
Stress is a major factor affecting both current and long-term performance of the organism to certain situations. Stress can hormonally influence some neuronal axis, particularly frontal lobe, hippocampus and amygdale, through the activation of HPA axis and its feedback. Changes in these regions of the brain during postnatal ontogeny can significantly affect individual behaviour and cognition. The mentioned effect of stress on cognitive functions is influenced, in particular, by the timing of the impact of stress due to postnatal ontogeny of the above mentioned regions of the brain. In addition to this timing is necessary to take into account a whole range of other factors such as predictability and the level of control above stress situations. A summary of all of these factors affects the specific impact on cognition of the individual will be a stressor. An acute or a long-term mild stress (i. e. sensory stimulation) increases the individual's cognitive abilities. On the contrary, too strong, non-predictable or uncontrollable stress has a negative effect on cognitive performance. Unfortunately, it is not easy to determine a reliable marker of the stress situation. In the postnatal period in mammals, we meet with the so-called hypo-responsive period which is characterized by stress resistance and...
|
guest ::
