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Updated: Feb 17, 2026

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
Effects of stress hormones on the brain and cognition: Evidence from normal to pathological aging
Juliana Nery de Souza-Talarico1, Marie-France Marin2, Shireen Sindi3
1PhD, Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing, University of São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil and Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
Several studies have demonstrated a wide cognitive variability among aged individuals. One factor thought to be associated with this heterogeneity is exposure to chronic stress throughout life. Animal and human evidence demonstrates that glucocorticoids (GCs), the main class of stress hormones, are strongly linked to memory performance whereby elevated GC levels are associated with memory performance decline in both normal and pathological cognitive aging. Accordingly, it is believed that GCs may increase the brain's vulnerability to the effects of internal and external insults, and thus may play a role in the development of age-related cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this review article was to investigate the effects of GCs on normal and pathological cognitive aging by showing how these hormones interact with different brain structures involved in cognitive abilities, subsequently worsen memory performance, and increase the risk for developing dementia.
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