Corticosteroids, the aging brain and cognition

The hippocampal region of the brain is a useful model system for understand ing the plasticity and resilience of brain cells to stress hormone action a nd aging. Hippocampal neurons show both structural and functional plasticit y, and individual differences in hippocampal function are shaped by early l ife experiences. For human brain aging, there are new non-invasive imaging fools to relate to the animal models, and these, can help to assess the vul nerability of the aging hippocampus in relation to stress and Alzheimer's d isease.