#9797. Chronic Stress Weakens Connectivity in the Prefrontal Cortex: Architectural and Molecular Changes

September 2026publication date
Proposal available till 21-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

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Journal’s subject area:
Clinical Psychology;
Psychiatry and Mental Health;
Behavioral Neuroscience;
Biological Psychiatry;
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Abstract:
Chronic exposure to uncontrollable stress causes loss of spines and dendrites in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a recently evolved brain region that provides top-down regulation of thought, action, and emotion. PFC neurons generate top-down goals through recurrent excitatory connections on spines. This persistent firing is the foundation for higher cognition, including working memory, and abstract thought. However, exposure to acute uncontrollable stress drives high levels of catecholamine release in the PFC, which activates feedforward calcium-cAMP signaling pathways to open nearby potassium channels, rapidly weakening synaptic connectivity to reduce persistent firing. Chronic stress exposures can further exacerbate these signaling events leading to loss of spines and resulting in marked cognitive impairment.
Keywords:
actin; aging; BDNF; calcium; cAMP; cognition; complement; microglia; mitochondria; spines

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