In their study on laboratory rodents, researchers at the University of California found that instead of cortisol, corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) seemed to play a vital role in blocking memory after short stressful periods.

Basically memory and learning occur at synapses, which are junctions of brain cells called neurons. These synapses occur on dendritic spines, which are structures that are specialized protrusions on neurons. In their study the US researchers found that the corticotrophin releasing hormone played havoc on the dendritic spines when the animal was stressed.

“Stress is a constant in our lives and cannot be avoided. Our findings can play an important role in the current development of drugs that might prevent these undesirable effects and offer insights into why some people are forgetful or have difficulty retaining information during stressful situations," said lead researcher Dr Tallie Z Baram.

The details of the study appear in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Stress is always a compounding factor in modern day lifestyle. While stress has been implicated in the development of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart disease, its effect on memory was largely unknown. If the above study is to be believed then stress might have a far bigger effect on lifestyle than previously thought.