The amygdala and cortex of the brain – regions of the central nervous system involved in experiencing emotions change with city life, scientists from Germany report in the journal Nature. Living in the city has many advantages, unfortunately medical statistics clearly prove that metropolitan stress increases the risk of depression, various types of neurosis and schizophrenia.
Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg and colleagues from the University of Heidelberg decided to investigate the neurological basis of this relationship. Scientists, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), watched the work of the students’ brain while performing a math test under unfavorable conditions – under time pressure or with unfavorable comments from the people conducting the experiment.
The authors of the study observed that in the presence of such stress stimuli, the amygdala and the cerebral cortex are more active in students raised or living in cities compared to colleagues from small towns. On this basis, they concluded that there is a relationship between city life and stress sensitivity.
The scientists emphasize that the results of their work show only the influence of urbanization on the reactions of representatives of a highly developed country. The research still requires confirmation among the inhabitants of less developed countries, where the differences between rural and urban life are much more noticeable (PAP).