Cara Wellman
Indiana University Bloomington psychology professor

Cara Wellman is killing me. Sitting in a noisy coffee shop on a Monday morning, nervously tapping my foot as I wolf down a fat-filled pumpkin cream-cheese muffin (eating is my preferred way of coping with stress), I wonder why, once again, I have put myself in this position. It's my fault I'm now staring at a blank screen and what feels like a hopeless deadline, and all I can think about is the Indiana University Bloomington psychology professor I've agreed to profile and how she's got my brain tied in knots.

Just a few weeks earlier, I listened intently as Wellman discussed her research on the effects of stress on the brain, how stress hormones target our prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain involved in planning complex cognitive behaviors), and how those hormones reorganize things (until my own brain unlocks, we'll call them things) in the brain's frontal lobe.

As Wellman has discovered, even minor stressors--such as deadlines, family squabbles, and traffic--can affect the brain's ability to process information. Fortunately, it turns out that our brains are pretty adaptable. Most of us get stressed now and again, and then we get over it. Our brains may bend a little, but don't actually break.

But what about those who struggle with chronic stress? What effect does chronic stress have on their brains? What about those who suffer from schizophrenia, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or relapse of substance abuse? How much does stress exacerbate--or precipitate--these conditions? Over the years, researchers have shown a link between stress and various psychological disorders. Wellman's work is beginning to uncover some of the changes in the brain that may be responsible for the link between stress and mental illness.

"Stress has profound implications for all psychological disorders," Wellman says. By further understanding the effects of stress on the prefrontal cortex, she adds, we might "shed light" on how to treat--and possibly prevent--these disorders.

In other words, to get to the bottom of how stressing out affects our brains, Wellman is, essentially, outing stress. ...

For the remainder of this story and much more on Indiana University research in areas related to neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychology, see IU's Research & Creative Activity magazine here: http://www.indiana.edu/~rcapub.