Stressed? It may be in your genes… With finals around the
corner, the stress factor on campus is bound to rise in the next
few weeks. Individual students have their own way of coping with
stress, such as TV, video games, music, power naps at Mugar
Library (the cubbies are quite comfortable) or a marathon visit
to FitRec. Regardless of the method, all aim to reduce the
anxiety of coming exams. Stress also has a neurophysiological
effect that decreases rates of neuroplasticity (the ability for
the brain to “rewire” itself) in the hippocampus – an area
believed to be a center of learning and memory. Additionally,
new research suggests that there is a genetic basis for stress
effects on the brain connected to a protein called brain derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In a joint study conducted by
Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College
researchers, it was found that mice with inadequate BDNF
expression had brains that looked similar to those of mice
exposed to chronic stress over a long period of