Studies of the hippocampus as a target of stress and stress hormones have revealed a
considerable degree of structural plasticity in the adult brain. Repeated stress causes
shortening and debranching of dendrites in the CA3 region of the hippocampus and
suppresses neurogenesis of dentate gyrus granule neurons. Both forms of structural
remodeling of the hippocampus appear to be reversible and are mediated by glucocorticoid
hormones working in concert with excitatory amino acids (EAA) and N-methyl-d-aspartate …