The Neurobiology Of Resilience

The neurobiology of resilience is the field of study that explains, from a biological point of view, one of the most fascinating processes of the human being. That is where people successfully cope with stressors derived from adverse situations, to adapt much better to our complex reality, also investing in emotional health and reducing the impact of traumatic events.

The word “resilience” represents a concept that has taken center stage in recent decades. The term and its meaning inspires us, we like it, many of us even read about it and try to develop it. However, there is one aspect that continues to arouse the curiosity of neuropsychologists …

Why are some people who cope with complex situations and adversity more effectively and others are instead trapped in a state of permanent helplessness? Why can these people even be the same at two different times in their lives?

We have seen it many times and in the most diverse ways. For example, we can have three siblings, three children who have had to experience the traumatic loss of one or both parents. Under the same circumstances and in the same environment, these little ones can grow up showing a very different behavioral pattern. Some of them will drag that traumatic wound showing problematic behaviors, low self-esteem, anxiety, learning difficulties, etc.

Another sibling, on the other hand, may develop a more adaptive attitude for himself, maintaining psychological balance despite the blow. All of this forces us to ask ourselves why. What neurobiological mechanisms make some of us more or less resilient? …

The neurobiology of resilience or our ability to tolerate stress

Talking about resilience implies a necessary reference to our ability to cope with stress, also using it to our advantage.  In this sense, one idea stands out: our brain is, above anything else, a detector of threatening information.

One of our priorities is to survive, and therefore, on a day-to-day basis and almost without realizing it, we do nothing but process dimensions that concern us, anticipating negative events that have not yet happened and filtering all kinds of risks or imbalances from our environment that may affect us in some way:  physical, social, emotional …

Resilience neurobiology experts tell us that moderate stress or “eustress” is the best of all: it prepares us for action. However, when worries, fears, memories of the past and anxiety about the future grip us, this “distress” becomes chronic and alters the brain genetically and neurologically. This is when mental problems, unhappiness and our inability to adapt to our already complex contexts appear.

Hormonal and neurotransmitter substances in resilience

At the beginning of 2016, the journal “Nature” published an interesting study on the neurobiology of resilience. It explains that this ability is linked to a series of very specific brain areas: the cerebral neocortex; and, at the subcortical level, the amygdala complex, the hippocampus and the locus ceruleus.

Likewise, the most fascinating and striking thing is undoubtedly the activity at the hormonal and neurotransmitter level, which favors or hinders our ability to be resilient.

• Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has the ability to regulate the impact of cortisol on our brain. People who have a deficiency in this type of hormone will therefore be less resilient.

• The human brain has two types of receptors for stress. There is one that is activated earlier, with small amounts of cortisol, and that in turn stimulates the hippocampus to increase the imprint of memories.
• The other is activated later and when there is a higher level of cortisol in the blood. This fact, the one that stimulates this second receptor to a greater degree, affects the quality of our memory. Less resilient people have a higher level of cortisol in their body and therefore, these types of receptors react.

Orchid kids and dandelion kids

One of the most common factors that can differentiate less resilient people is their early experiences. Thus, a childhood marked by insecure attachment, lack of affection, abuse or a specific traumatic event generates toxic stress in the child that impacts on their later brain development.

Likewise, within the neurobiology of resilience, orchid children are often differentiated from dandelion children.

• The first are those that we have described previously, the little ones who have lived a traumatic childhood. However, epigenetics is also added to the weight of the environment. Something that is being seen, for example, is that moms suffer more and more from emotional stress. Whether we like it or not, these cortisol levels reach the fetus and disrupt neural connections in the baby’s amygdala.
• On the other hand , dandelion children are those little ones who, due to various factors, are much more resistant to stress. The genetic inheritance inherited from the father or the mother, being raised in a secure attachment, with a favorable social circle, undoubtedly determines a more resilient attitude towards life and its difficulties.

To conclude, as the neurobiology of resilience reveals, whether we can use this dimension to a greater degree depends at first glance, on a series of hormones and neurotransmitters, on epigenetics and on the quality of our childhood. These factors can certainly seem somewhat “deterministic” to us; however, as we have pointed out in the article, resilience is also learned, developed and applied.

There are, for example,  the studies on brain neuroplasticity and how the act of initiating new behaviors, assuming new patterns of thought and attitudes can make our brain a much more resistant organ. Let’s not forget, it is always a good time to invest more in ourselves, to learn to face our small and great adversities with greater energy, strength and optimism.