GUEST POST: A Neuroscientific Perspective on Understanding and Managing Stress
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By Dr Julie-Myrtille Bourgognon
Dr Julie-Myrtille Bourgognon is a neuroscientist and lecturer at the University of Glasgow's School of Psychology & Neuroscience. She has been teaching neuroscience to level 3 and 4 students at the University of Glasgow since 2023. As a research scientist, she spent several years studying neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and prion diseases, with a particular interest for GPCRs and nitric oxide. She earned her PhD in Neurosciences (Cell Physiology and Pharmacology) from the University of Leicester and has held postdoctoral positions at the University of Leicester and the MRC Toxicology Unit Cambridge, where she conducted significant research on prion diseases and the role of muscarinic receptors and nitric oxide in neurodegeneration. She also studied the molecular processes leading to stress and anxiety related behaviours and this led her to her current research aiming at developing student anxiety management tools and activities at universities.
Stress significantly impacts university students, affecting their mental and physical health. There has been a constant rise of mental illnesses reports in UK Universities over the last decade (1) – linked to high academic demands, cost of living and other financial pressures, and social challenges. When stressed, one can feel overwhelmed, sad, hopeless. Over time, stress-driven brain changes prompt sleep pattern and cognitive function impairments, eventually leading to academic performance difficulties. Hence it is crucial for students to learn to manage their stress levels to avoid them reaching chronic levels.
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Understanding Stress and Its Impact on the Brain
Research indicates that stress significantly alters normal brain function (2). Stress alters the levels of chemicals in the brain that affect mood and cognition, like serotonin; it causes an imbalance in the neural circuitry connections that control mood, anxiety, decision making, and cognition and behaviour (3,4). Stress causes brain shrinkage, especially in areas like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which are essential for memory, metabolism, and regulating emotions (5). The prefrontal cortex (that is what makes us human and is involved in complex behaviours, decision-making etc...) is particularly sensitive to stress and can weaken under acute stress, leading to anxiety and mental paralysis. For students specifically, stress can lead to a difficulty to comprehend, learn and remember course content (6). At rest, it is your ‘cognitive’ memory system depending on the hippocampus that allows for the formation and recall of flexible memories. Under stress the limbic system or primitive brain takes over your prefrontal cortex and the limbic system abnormally activates the Default Mode Network (the DMN is normally activated when you are resting, day-dreaming, mind-wandering...). This creates difficulties in learning and comprehension of the course content and the mind preferentially shifts its focus onto negative ideas and feelings. The balance tips towards more rigid ‘habit’ memories (6). Overall stress affects not only how much is learned (memory quantity) but also what is encoded and how memories are built (memory quality).
Reversing the Effects of Stress
When stressed, the negative feelings and difficulties that one experiences are the consequence of the response to stress. Consistent practice of good habits can help manage that response and keep the negative effects of stress at bay. Mindfulness techniques, for example, have been shown to reduce stress biomarkers, change brain structure and improve communication between brain hemispheres (7,8).
Mindfulness techniques are practices that help you stay present and fully engage with the current moment. Practicing mindfulness has been shown to structurally change some regions of the brain; for example, the size of the right caudate nucleus, that plays a role in response inhibition, reward valuation, and emotional regulation, was diminished after mindfulness practice (9). Moreover, the communication between the two brain hemispheres as well as brain functional reconfiguration are improved (10). This is because mindfulness practice involves multiple aspects of mental function that use multiple complex interactive networks in the brain. Mindfulness is a very powerful technique that has been shown to decrease the levels of stress biomarkers; as such, it is even more effective than stress management education (11).
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One common mindfulness technique is deep breathing, where you focus on your breath, taking slow, deep inhales and exhales. Another technique is body scanning, which involves paying attention to different parts of your body, noticing any sensations or tension. Mindful walking is also popular; it involves walking slowly and deliberately, paying attention to each step and the environment around you. Another mindfulness technique is meditation, which involves focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment (12).
Here is an easy exercise to calm your nervous system. When you work a lot at your desk, stress typically shows up in your body (e.g., change of breath, sweaty hands, muscles aches etc). You can train your brain to be calmer, by acting on your nervous system:
Stand up and take a deep breath, raising your shoulders to your ears and then lowering them, repeating five times.
Gently tilt your head forward, backward, and to each side.
Shake your arms and hands loosely for one minute, then do the same with your legs.
Stand straight, breathe calmly, and feel your feet anchored to the floor.
Fold your torso towards the floor, letting your arms and head hang, and take five calm breaths before straightening up.
Do this on a regular basis to keep the stress away!
Other easy steps that one can use to relieve stress are to take regular breaks and go for a walk or a coffee, break tasks into smaller, manageable parts, engage in hobbies to give your brain a break, eat healthily and ensure to get enough sleep (13).
Challenging Unhelpful Thoughts
I have mentioned briefly above the presence of negative thoughts when under stress. Anxiety often stems from unhelpful thoughts based on false beliefs. Challenging these thoughts by focusing on facts and considering more realistic alternatives will be helpful to reframe the current situation and diminish stress. For example, if a friend doesn't respond to your text, you might think it is because that friend dismisses you; rather, you might want to consider other reasons unrelated to you, such as them being busy or having misplaced their phone. More info on unhelpful thinking can be found here: Managing Unwanted Thoughts.
References
1. Lewis, J. & Stiebahl, S. (2025). Student mental health in England: Statistics, policy, and guidance. Research briefing, House of Commons Library. https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8593/CBP-8593.pdf
2. McEwen, B. S. (2006). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators: central role of the brain. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), 367–381. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2006.8.4/bmcewen
3. Schneiderman, N., Ironson, G., & Siegel, S. D. (2005). Stress and health: psychological, behavioral, and biological determinants. Annual review of clinical psychology, 1, 607–628. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144141
4. Starcke K., & Brand M. (2012). Decision making under stress: A selective review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 36, 1228-1248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.02.003.
5. Jin J., Maren S. (2015). Prefrontal-Hippocampal Interactions in Memory and Emotion. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, Vol 9. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/systems-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00170
6. Vogel, S., & Schwabe, L. (2016). Learning and memory under stress: Implications for the classroom. npj Science Learn, 1, 16011. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjscilearn.2016.11
7. De Filippi, E., Escrichs, A., Càmara, E., Garrido, C., Marins, T., Sánchez-Fibla, M., Gilson, M., & Deco, G. (2022). Meditation-induced effects on whole-brain structural and effective connectivity. Brain structure & function, 227(6), 2087–2102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02496-9
8. Luders E, Phillips OR, Clark K, Kurth F, Toga AW, Narr KL. (2012). Bridging the hemispheres in meditation: Thicker callosal regions and enhanced fractional anisotropy (FA) in long-term practitioners. Neuroimage, 61,181-7. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.02.026.
9. Mas-Cuesta, L., Baltruschat, S., Cándido, A., Verdejo-Lucas, C., Catena-Verdejo, E., & Catena, A. (2024). Brain changes following mindfulness: Reduced caudate volume is associated with decreased positive urgency. Behavioural brain research, 461, 114859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114859
10. Yue, W.L., Ng, K.K., Koh, A.J. et al. (2023). Mindfulness-based therapy improves brain functional network reconfiguration efficiency. Translational Psychiatry, 13, 345. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02642-9
11. Hoge, E. A., Bui, E., Palitz, S. A., Schwarz, N. R., Owens, M. E., Johnston, J. M., Pollack, M. H., & Simon, N. M. (2018). The effect of mindfulness meditation training on biological acute stress responses in generalized anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Research, 262, 328–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.006
12. Tang, YY., Hölzel, B. & Posner, M. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Review Neuroscience, 16, 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916
13. NHS, mental health, self-help https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/self-help/guides-tools-and-activities/tips-to-reduce-stress/
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