The Neurology Of ‘Pressure’ and How Stress Changes A Student’s Brain
Contributor: Judy Willis, M.D., M.Ed. — Neurologist and educator.
Stress has measurable effects on neural processing and behavior. This article explains how amygdala activation under pressure diverts information away from the prefrontal cortex, limiting executive functions and pushing students toward fight/flight/freeze responses that impede learning.
Keywords: stress, amygdala, executive function, neurology of learning, student well-being
The Amygdala and Stress
From neuroimaging and correlated neurocognitive research, we’ve seen the impact of stress on neural processing of information and behavior output. A prominent structure in this system is the amygdala, deep in the brain’s emotionally responsive limbic system. The amygdala is a switching station through which sensory input must pass to reach the prefrontal cortex (PFC), where long-term memory is constructed.
When stress is high, increased activity in the amygdala limits communication to and from the prefrontal cortex.Judy Willis, M.D., M.Ed.
Stress cuts off students’ access to higher-order thinking, logic, creative problem solving, and analytical judgment. With loss of higher-brain control, the lower, reactive brain’s involuntary outputs take over—typically fight/flight/freeze. The student cannot use executive functions to understand, evaluate, or apply new learning.
See also: The Neuroscience Of Learning: 41 Terms Every Teacher Should Know
The New Group of High-Risk Students
We’ve seen students’ responses to sustained or frequent frustration or boredom increasing as school has beco