Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico discovered that people who bounce back well from stress tend to have a thick (take a deep breath!…) ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), an area of the frontal lobes (that would be near the front and bottom of your brain, behind your forehead).
“Thick” means there is a lot of tissue there — lots of brain cells; bigger or better connected brain cells; more activity requiring more cells to do the work.
On the other hand, this region tends to be thin in people who experience a lot of anxiety. Fewer cells, fewer connections, smaller cells, and /or less activity.
What does this mean?
Well, it suggests that people differ in their susceptibility to fear or anxiety depending on the level of brain activity in their prefrontal cortex. The higher the level of activity, the more the brain is able to put the brakes on the anxiety, toning it down or even turning it off.
So what?
Well, if you could increase the activity, size, number, or connections of neurons in this region of the brain (i.e., generate more activity there), you may be able to better inhibit (put the brakes on) other brain regions associated with the fear or anxiety in the first place.
But how can you do that?
I’m so glad you asked.
What I find particularly interesting about this research is that we have the tools to strengthen the frontal lobes. .
HEG (hemoencephalography, but let’s stick with HEG) is a neurofeedback technique that can increase the blood flow (measured by near-infrared HEG) and/or the amount of oxygen (measured by passive-infrared HEG) in the frontal lobes.
PEMF (pulsed electro-magnetic fields) is another tool that can be used, even at home. It uses extremely low frequency electro-magnetic pulses which interacts with brain cells to increase oxygen circulation, reduce inflammation, and generally help cells self-repair and optimize their functioning.
Photobiomodulation is yet another tool that can enhance brain functions. This time, we’re using red and infrared light directed to the brain to do something similar to the energy-enhancing activity of PEMFs. Again, it’s a tool appropriate for home-use and lets the brain do self-repair and optimization.
Each of these approaches to brain health can increase blood flow and/or oxygen levels in the brain. Having more blood / oxygen in the frontal lobes gives them more energy, which produces higher activity levels and the possibility of all the kinds of good changes listed above in turning down excessive anxiety.
Are there side-effects of strengthening the frontal lobes?
You bet ‘cha.
You might become more organized, a better planner, more able to manage your moods, have better concentration, make better decisions, etc. etc. And, if you have migraine headaches, you might find you have fewer, less severe, or shorter headaches.
Not a bad trade-off, eh? Lose the anxiety and gain what are called "executive functions". Win-win.