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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Nov 21.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Jun;10(6):397–409. doi: 10.1038/nrn2647

Table 1.

Neuroplastic Responses to Chronic Stress

Site Chronic Stress Plasticity Process Impacted
HPC Dendritic atrophy
↓GR expression		 ↓HPA Glucocorticoid feedback
↓Memory
mPFC Dendritic atrophy
↓GR expression		 ↓HPA Glucocorticoid feedback
↓Extinction, ↓Reward
CeA ↑CRH expression
↑CRH release		 ↑Autonomic and HPA excitability
↑Anxiety
BLA ↑dendritic branching
↑stress excitability		 ↑Autonomic and HPA excitability
↓Emotional memory, ↓Reward
PVT ↑stress excitability ↑HPA excitability (novel stress)
↓HPA excitability (familiar stress)
LC ↑neurotransmitter/NP
↑stress excitability (mPFC)		 ↑HPA excitability (novel stress)
PVN ↑secretagogue synthesis
↑stress receptivity
↓GR expression		 ↑stress excitability (novel stress)