Living in the city marks your brain

• May 3, 2024

It's no surprise that live in a big city like New York or the Federal District can affect your health. But new studies suggest that city dwellers have a reaction in the brain much stronger in the face of stress, the scientific journal Nature reports.

The discovery could help explain why grow in the city It can trigger risks of certain conditions such as schizophrenia, anxiety and other types of mental disorders.

In a study through tomographies performed at the brains of volunteers, differences were discovered in the cognitive responses between native people of the city and those of the province.

By subjecting volunteers to situations that generated stress, the researchers found that people from cities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants showed greater activation in the brain area of ​​the amygdala , that those from small towns.

The scientists did not manage to conclude because city life can shoot brain responses , but suggest that it is due to the stress generated by living with other people. Studies in animals have shown that early exposure to stress causes lifelong effects.

Experts indicate that more research is necessary to consider the theories and results as conclusive, but it is certainly interesting to observe the differences in behavior among the participants.

Source: Associated Press.