The topic chosen for this assignment that was submitted in previous assignments. (Please use this to do this assignment.)
The Impact of Chronic Workplace Stress on the Prefrontal Cortex and Decision-Making
Stress in the workplace has become a long-term issue in the contemporary society; where a mixture of high expectations on work coupled up with continuous multi-tasking and lack of time to go on a break is placing undue mental and physical pressure on employees. Such chronic stress of this nature does not only influence the mood, but it can also cause tangible alterations in the brain structure and functionality (Wei et al., 2025). Specifically, a long-term exposure to stress hormones like cortisol interferes with neural circuits of the setting that immediately surround the executive control that leads to cognitive disorders during decision-making and self-regulation. The recurrent stress at the place of work interferes with the functioning of the prefrontal cortex due to the neural connections and hormone imbalance that ultimately leads to low decision-making capabilities in a person.
One of the crucial areas of the brain that is used in complex thinking processes, such as planning, judgment, and impulsiveness control is the pre-frontal cortex (PFC). Chronic stress results in overstimulated cortisol, leading to impaired synaptic plasticity and gray matter of the PFC and increased activity of the amygdala to regulate emotion (Woo et al., 2021). This results in the basis of responses more on reactionary or emotional responses than on rational thinking due to the imbalance. The implications of these neurobiological changes also include difficulties in attention, assessment of risk, and moral thinking within the workplace settings where stress is elevated.
Information about how chronic stress at work affects the prefrontal cortex can be of benefit when it comes to understanding the performance of an organization and the mental wellbeing of the workforce. This paper will describe the consequences of the ongoing occupational stress on decision-making skills through the lens of neurobiological evidence and underline the importance of occupational interventions to reduce the stress level and decrease cognitive vulnerability.
Feedback from tutor
You’ve chosen a really strong and relevant topic — stress in the workplace is such a major issue, and I like how you’re tying it directly to changes in the prefrontal cortex and decision-making. You’ve already got a clear sense of the neurobiological mechanisms involved, and your writing shows thoughtful connections between stress hormones, brain structure, and behavior. As you refine your paper, you might consider narrowing the focus a little — maybe centering on one main function of the prefrontal cortex (like impulse control or risk assessment) or one key pathway that links cortisol to changes in decision-making. That will help keep your argument tight and impactful while still highlighting how chronic stress affects everyday functioning. This is shaping up to be a really insightful paper!
Assignment:
Perspectives Paper: Overview
Submit a paper that clearly communicates a focused direction of research on the impact
stressors have on the brain and behavior. When building your current perspective, be sure to carefully consider if the stressor you describe is in the realm of
chronic stress or a
single episode of stress. In other words, are you thinking about a form of stress that, when experienced over a long time, significantly impacts on a person’s emotions, cognitive functions, and behavioral responses? Or are you going to discuss the impact of a single experience that may carry forward consequences on emotional processing, cognitions, and behaviors?
To begin, try to clearly imagine your focus as being on something specific, like
Today’s Current Understanding of Chronic Stress on Human Health, or you could be even more specific in your approach by addressing something along the lines of
Today’s Current Understanding of the Impacts of Daily Stress
in a Difficult Work Environment
. These are just examples that you might consider, but feel free to explore anything! There are lots of stress-related disorders, stressor impacts on heath, and there are positive effects of stress you might wish to consider too!
Content
In your paper, you will explore a brain function that contributes to vulnerability to stress and its connection to a specific emotional, cognitive, or behavioral outcome. Feel free to discuss how your interpretation of stress is relevant to our daily social life and mental health. Be sure to include a clear discussion of how this brain function relates to any of the brain areas we have studied in this course.
When discussing the latest research related to your topic of stress, you should try to include:
· prominent cellular or structural endpoints in the brain (like the expression of genes, proteins, or release of hormones and neurotransmitters),
· the contributions of specific brain areas,
· physiological systems that are affected by the actions produced in brain,
· any behaviors associated with the syndrome,
· and any research techniques that enable us to draw direct connections between stress-induced changes in brain and behavior.
Structure
Basics
The paper should be 7 pages long (
not including references/bibliography). Plan to incorporate findings from at least
eight peer-reviewed research articles related to your chosen topic. At the end of your paper, include your final opinion and support your opinion with the literature you discussed throughout.
Suggested Format
The following is a suggested format you can follow when crafting your paper:
1.
Introduction: Introduce the general topic. Why is understanding the difference between adaptive and excessive stress experiences important to the future of human health. (1 page)
2.
Historical Significance: Summarize and explain the historical behavioral and biological significance of studying the effects of stress. (2 pages)
· Introduce the concepts that you wish to highlight and define all constructs (e.g., mood, affective processing, emotional reactivity, anhedonia, etc.).
· Briefly mention the early (most original, historical) basic science related to your perspective topic – try to locate any seminal papers that first described the topic and its significance.
3.
Current State of Understanding: Describe the current state of understanding for your topic. (2 pages)
· Summarize and explain the objectives of current science that focuses on your specific type of stressor.
· What are the latest (most recent) and interesting specific research results reported—in good, clear, concise detail?
· How do these recent results refute, bolster, confirm, or extend earlier theories?
· Explain how results may have utilized recent technological or methodological advancements?
4.
Your Perspective: Finally,
discuss the impact of your topic on our current way of life and basic human needs (2 pages).
· Importantly, be sure to
include how the research you read about now relates to your own perspective regarding the neurobiological understanding of stress on human behavior.
· You may also wish to describe:
· therapeutic treatment strategies for stress-related diseases,
· broader social implications of certain types of stress across the human population,
· recognizing current trends that are sensitive to the pressures of today’s world, what
· should be highlighted in future research directions, or
· anything else you might think is important to say about the type of stress you learned more about!
5.
References (Bibliography). Include
at least eight!
Additional Details
1. Do not exceed the page limit of 10 pages (excluding your Bibliography). One goal of this exercise is to communicate complex ideas in a clear and concise manner. At least 8 references to published literature should be included in your paper.
2. Use a clear (and close to perfect) APA format. No abstract required. Specifically, make sure to include:
· a Title Page,
· your 7 page Perspective Paper (with Introduction, Historical Significance, Current State of Understanding, and Your Perspective), and
· Bibliography.
3. This paper is Double Spaced.
Assignment 2 – 1 pages
Part 1
What are areas of the brain thought to be involved in working memory? Please find a published peer-reviewed Research Paper that investigated one of these brain area’s involvement in working memory. It might be useful to keep in mind all the various types of assessments used in animals that are great for capturing ‘working memory’ presented in the textbook.
Give a background to the paper you read (i.e., why was that research important), provide the objective and hypothesis of the study, note one of the prominent methods that was used to explore the hypothesis, and discuss one major result of the study. Please be sure to include the bibliographical information (i.e., in APA format) for the paper you discussed!
Part 2
What was the neurological condition of Jimmie G. in
The Lost Mariner? What were some of the most peculiar effects of his condition? How did Oliver Sacks help with his recovery, if he did? How would you describe the experience and outcome of his recovery?
