Stress and negative emotions lead to memory problems

A new study has found that people who most often experience negative emotions such as depression and anxiety were 40 percent more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who were least prone to negative emotions.

Experts say mild cognitive impairment, where people experience mild memory or cognitive problems, but have no significant disability, is a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia. According to the latest research, people who are easily distressed and have more negative emotions are more likely to develop memory problems than more easygoing types.

The researchers examined the results of previous research which involved 1,256 people with no cognitive impairment and found in the 12 years of follow-up, that 482 people developed mild cognitive impairment.An evaluation process was devised which asked questions regarding the participants susceptibility to distress and negative emotions such as "I am not a worrier," "I often feel tense and jittery," and "I often get angry at the way people treat me."

The findings suggest that, over a lifetime, chronic experience of stress affects the area of the brain that governs stress response and unfortunately, that is also the part of the brain that regulates memory. (For more information click on the top link).