Tests on the influence of a stress-related hormone in ground squirrels could have an impact on understanding how it influences human learning, according to Jill Mateo, a University of Chicago researcher. The squirrels learn more quickly if they have a modest amount of cortisol - a hormone produced in response to stress - than those with either high or low levels of cortisol.
Mateo simulated a natural setting with a maze and connected it to the squirrel's home nest box. She noninvasively altered the amount of cortisol in the pups' systems and found that those with high or low cortisol levels took an average of 13 to 14 trials before they navigated the maze, while a control group of non-treated pups with a modest amount of cortisol needed just nine.
Unlike with animals, researchers cannot moderate cortisol levels in humans to study its impact, and little is known about the impact of low cortisol on learning. Some pregnant women who are exposed to stress, such as those who directly experienced the collapse of the World Trade Center, developed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and have had significantly lower cortisol years later, as can their babies. The animal tests help to understand the potential impact of low cortisol on human learning, Mateo said.
