Physical exhaustion syndrome, also called burnout, as well as exhaustion associated with depressive states leave behind significant changes in the brain. They can cause a decrease in activity in the frontal lobe and alter the regulation of the stress hormone cortisol.
The functioning of the frontal lobe, responsible for e.g. for thinking, memory, as well as the assessment of emotions and situations, may be disturbed in people suffering from the syndrome of physical exhaustion, informs the Swedish Research Council.
A team of researchers from Umea University in Sweden wanted to find out what factors work in patients suffering from such disorders. Their research indicates that there is a relationship between personality, general health, cognitive abilities, and neuroendocrine disorders in the exhaustion syndrome.
After performing an MRI on a group of people participating in the study, researchers found that physically exhausted people have a different pattern of brain activity when performing memory tests. Studies have also shown less activity in the frontal lobe than in healthy subjects, and even in people suffering from depression.
Patients suffering from the syndrome of physical exhaustion are distinguished by pessimism, anxiety, and a poor sense of their own identity, which is also common in many other mental disorders. These people are also characterized by exceptional perseverance, ambition and pedantism.
Scientists have found that ambitious and demanding people are more prone to the exhaustion syndrome. Agneta Sandstrm believes that people suffering from this syndrome face problems with memory and attention, as well as reduced brain activity in the frontal lobe. The regulation of the stress hormone cortisol is also impaired in this patient group. (PAP)