Perceived stress is associated with smaller hippocampal volume in adolescence.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study evaluating brain structure correlates (by design analogy, not clinical CEBM)
PubMed 29053191 · doi:10.1111/psyp.13025
What was done
In a cross-sectional study, 143 participants aged 12 to 20 years completed a structural MRI scan, a cognitive battery assessing memory and executive functioning, and a questionnaire evaluating self-perceived stress. The authors examined associations among perceived stress, family socioeconomic factors (family income, parental education), subcortical volumes (hippocampus, amygdala), prefrontal cortical thickness and surface area, and cognitive performance.
What was found
Higher levels of perceived stress were associated with decreased adolescent hippocampal volume. The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values, and does not provide results for the amygdala, prefrontal cortex, or cognitive outcomes.
Why it matters
The study links self-perceived stress with reduced hippocampal volume during adolescence, a developmental period characterized by substantial brain plasticity.
Limits
The cross-sectional design cannot establish causality or temporal sequence. The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, or statistical metrics, and provides no findings for several pre-specified measures (amygdala volume, prefrontal metrics, cognitive function). Stress was measured solely by self-report.
Cited by
- partial Chronic, long-term stress alone causes the human brain to shrink.