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Prenatal Stress Harmful
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 22 2000 | 1,417 views

It has been reported previously that early life experiences such as prenatal stress can significantly influence the development of the brain and the organization of behavior.

In particular, prenatal stress seems to have the ability to impair memory processes, although researchers note that the mechanism for this effect is unknown.

In performing experiments on rats, researchers have found that prenatal stress:

  • Induced a life-long reduction of the creation of neural cells (neurogenesis)in a portion of the brain known as the dentate gyrus, which is involved in the ability of the brain to store new memories

  • Produced impairment in certain spatial tasks

  • Blocked the normal increase of learning-induced neurogenesis.

The authors conclude, "These data strengthen pathophysiological hypotheses that propose an early neurodevelopmental origin for psychopathological vulnerabilities in aging."

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, September 26, 2000; 97: 11032-11037


Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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: A nice piece of research supporting the concept that emotional wounding can have profound physiological consequences later in life. I use a form of stress testing of the autonomic nervous system that relies on this concept and helps me to learn about some of the foundational issues that are contributing to a person's health complaints.

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