Impaired Functional Connectivity in the Prefrontal Cortex: A Mechanism for Chronic Stress-Induced Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Chronic stress-related psychiatric diseases, such as major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, are characterized by a maladaptive organization of behavioral responses that strongly affect the well-being of patients. Current evidence suggests that a functional impairment of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of neural transplantation & plasticity 2016-01, Vol.2016 (2016), p.1-16
Main Authors: Negrón-Oyarzo, Ignacio, Fuentealba, Pablo, Aboitiz, Francisco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animal behavior
Animals
Anxiety disorders
Brain
Brain - physiopathology
Brain Waves
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive models
Executive Function - physiology
Humans
Hypotheses
Memory
Memory - physiology
Mental Disorders - etiology
Mental Disorders - physiopathology
Mental Disorders - psychology
Nervous system diseases
Neural Pathways - physiopathology
Neuronal Plasticity
Neurons
Neurons - physiology
Neurophysiology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Prefrontal Cortex - physiopathology
Review
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
Well being
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Summary:Chronic stress-related psychiatric diseases, such as major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, are characterized by a maladaptive organization of behavioral responses that strongly affect the well-being of patients. Current evidence suggests that a functional impairment of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is implicated in the pathophysiology of these diseases. Therefore, chronic stress may impair PFC functions required for the adaptive orchestration of behavioral responses. In the present review, we integrate evidence obtained from cognitive neuroscience with neurophysiological research with animal models, to put forward a hypothesis that addresses stress-induced behavioral dysfunctions observed in stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. We propose that chronic stress impairs mechanisms involved in neuronal functional connectivity in the PFC that are required for the formation of adaptive representations for the execution of adaptive behavioral responses. These considerations could be particularly relevant for understanding the pathophysiology of chronic stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.
ISSN:2090-5904
0792-8483
1687-5443
1687-5443
DOI:10.1155/2016/7539065