Chronic Stress and the Brain: Response
Stress can occur in varying levels of severity and lengths of time and result in physiological responses that proportionate to the level and duration (Greenberg, Carr & Summers 2002). The functioning of the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex are negatively affected by chronic stress in humans. The amygdala is the control center in the brain for emotions, emotional behavior and motivation (Wright). The hippocampus works closely with the amygdala; its primary functions are long term memories and declarative memory (Wright). The prefrontal cortex is responsible for goal oriented behaviors and executive functions such as short term memory, motor functions and ...
