Why can fatigue lead to long-term brain damage according to this neurobiologist?

Neurobiologist Brankley Frank wrote a book on the subject called Above the head. In it, she explains that fatigue can sometimes lead to brain damage, similar to a concussion.

The stress hormone cortisol

Brankley speaks in the book and also in an interview with devotionHow is this possible? “Normally your body can regulate itself. And the stress mechanism is able to restore itself to normal levels. But at some point, if you are stressed long enough, this self-regulation mechanism breaks down. And if the stress hormone cortisol remains in your brain for too long, It becomes harmful. The result is that you end up with a chronically stressed brain. They look really different from a normally stressed brain.

It also says that brain size is decreasing. “Some areas of the brain have grown, other areas have shrunk. As a result, the dynamics between those brain areas have also changed. Then you get a vicious cycle of things that can no longer support each other sufficiently. And then everything twists around like this.” out of control.”

Respond rather than expect

According to Frankl, this can be explained: “The more stressed you are, the more reactive you become. At a certain point, you will only be able to react, rather than anticipate. All the mechanisms you normally use to reduce your stress work less well. Because stress costs energy and causes “In inhibiting your prefrontal cortex, your ability to think. Your emotions are really excited. So you're more unstable, more nervous and at the same time more difficult to put things into perspective. This makes it more difficult to take care of yourself systematically.”

Brain damage equals a concussion

During her research, Frankel noticed that brain damage caused by fatigue appeared to be the same as that caused by concussions. “I've found scientific studies that show that the same types of biomarkers are found in burnout cases — and I'm talking about serious cases — as in concussions.” Biomarkers are substances in your body that can be an indicator of a certain disease. She continues: “In this case, it was about astrocytic vesicles, which are biomarkers found in mild brain injuries such as concussions. These blisters are found in people who have suffered a physical blow. But also in people who suffer from fatigue.

Brain recovery period after exhaustion

Brankley says the brain's recovery time after fatigue varies from person to person. “There are studies from Sweden, where a third of the people in the study still had clinical heartburn seven years after leaving the study. And only 16 percent reported that they were cured,” Brankel says. “So at least two-thirds to three-quarters of the people didn’t They make a full recovery after all this time.” “But you also have different degrees of fatigue, of course.”

Actress and singer Loki Knoll (75 years old) suffered from burnout last year. Fortunately, she says, she is improving story. This is partly due to the help she received from a famous “mentor” and former TV presenter. Matthijs Albers will update you:

Bron: devotion