Psych 110;

Tue-Thur 9:35

Term Paper

"Stress Can Make You Forgetful, Study Finds"

The Washington press has recently brought light to the highly sought about topic of stress. Many people understand what stress is, and have to deal with it daily. Many people do not know what causes stress, why we feel stressed, or even what is the purpose of stress. If you have ever been in a stressful situation at work, or had to complete a significant amount of homework for class, and you felt overwhelmed, well this is stress. Stress is the body's response to an event, or situation that involve disruption to physical functions. Many people often reported during high levels of stress, they do not retain memory, such as a night before an exam. During a recent study of stress and what the physiological responses we think that we have found out how to aid in the reduction of stress.

MSNBC outlines the research done by the following scientist-
S. G. BirnbaumHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1,2, P. X. YuanHYPERLINK \l "aff-3"3, M. WangHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1, S. VijayraghavanHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1, A. K. BloomHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1, D. J. DavisHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1, K. T. GobeskeHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1, J. D. SweattHYPERLINK \l "aff-2"2, H. K. ManjiHYPERLINK \l "aff-3"3 and A. F. T. ArnstenHYPERLINK \l "aff-1"1.
They state the fact that when the body is put in a stressful situation, your brain activates the enzyme known as Protein Kinase C (PKC). Protein Kinase C affects the retainment of short term memories, and impairs function of the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is considered by many to be the "executive decision maker in the brain," stated by Dr. Amy F. T. Arnsten, of Yale Medical School. They suggest that the study pinpoints PKC to a factor in prefrontal cortical impairments such as distractibility, impaired judgment, as well as the decision making process, including impulse actions. These factors are all seen in patients that have bipolar disorder, as well as schizophrenia. Stress has been known to trigger these episodes, including worsening the extent of the outbreak. They think that by seeking drugs that inhibit PKC activation, that we can lower the amount of symptoms seen in patients that deal with episode daily, especially those cause by uncontrolled stressors, but can this really cure Bipolar and schizophrenia patients? Lets see what the original research states.

The prefrontal cortex is the region in the brain that controls our emotions, thought processing, behavior, and decision making. The prefrontal cortex uses a system known as representational knowledge to regulate said actions, which is also known to some as our "working memory." Scientist wanted to understand more about the enzyme Protein Kinase C, and the relationship it shares with the prefrontal cortex, including its function, causes, and side effects. Study shows that increased levels of PKC can impair behavior, and functions of our working memory. PKC can also disrupt the maintenance of prefrontal cortical regulation on behavior, thought processing, and show symptoms of prefrontal cortex errors, including being easily distracted (ADD), impaired judgment (intoxication), impulse actions, thought disorders, as well as many decision makers.

Damage to the prefrontal cortex is known to cause all the above issues. It is seen mostly in patients with bipolar tendencies, schizophrenic behavior, an extensive stress exposure. This study finds that PKC plays a huge part in all of prefrontal cortical impulses, when pkc levels are increased. Activation of the phospholipase C realeses diacylglyceral(DAG) which is known to bind to the PKC enzyme, which results in PKC activations. Phorbal esters (PMA) also was found to activate the PKC enzyme, yet it acts like a longer lasting diacylglyceral. PKC was also found to be activated by norepinephrine(NE) and phenylephrine(PE). Stress indicators increase the levels of NE in the brain, therefore impairing prefrontal corticol