Monday, May 2, 2011

Last-minute exam stress can actually help students to form stronger memories


It runs counter to all the received wisdom about revision. But now scientists say cramming at the last minute could actually be better than spending months swotting up for exams.

According to the latest research, hormones produced under stress cause changes to our brain cells that can help memories to be stored more efficiently.

Stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline alter the way genes inside neurons function, researchers have discovered, enhancing their learning ability.

Professor Hans Reul, a neuroscientist at the University of Bristol, said that the findings suggest students' learning could actually be improved by studying when feeling the pressure of a deadline.

Cortisol and adrenaline appear to boost a mechanism known as epigenetic modification that 'reprograms' neural DNA, he said, increasing or decreasing the expression of certain genes.


Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1382936/Last-minute-exam-stress-actually-help-students-form-stronger-memories.html#ixzz1LGIzVdDj

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