20 Eye-Opening Medical Facts That You Should Keep In Your Mind

3. High levels of stress can literally kill your brain. Studies have found that prolonged exposure to stress can affect the brain’s ability to learn, control impulses, reason or remember by permanently damaging your neurons.

Cortisol, one of the hormones released while you are experiencing stress can damage the Hippocampus by stopping new neurons from generating and destroying the existing ones. Other areas that are negatively affected by stress include Amygdala and Medial Prefrontal Cortex by increasing and decreasing their sizes respectively. The Medial Prefrontal Cortex is responsible for complex cognitive behavior, social interactions, decision making, working memory and controlling impulsive behavior. Amygdala is responsible for the formation of memories associated with emotional events, whereas Hippocampus is responsible for learning and memory.