A study published on Wednesday in the journal Neurology showed stressed-out middle-aged¹ people were more likely to show symptoms of memory loss. The study revealed that middle-aged people with high levels of a hormone² called cortisol in their blood have apparently³ impaired⁴ memory when compared to those with average levels of the hormone.

周三于《神经病学》期刊上发布的一篇研究表明：备受压力的中年人更易出现健忘症状。该研究表明：与血液中皮质醇激素水平处于平均值的中年人相比，该激素水平更高的中年人记忆力明显受损。

Cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands⁵, helps the body respond to stress and it can also help reduce inflammation, control blood sugar and blood pressure. High cortisol levels can be caused by stress, medical conditions or medications.

皮质醇由肾上腺产生，有助于身体对压力做出反应，同时有助于消炎、控制血糖和血压。高的皮质醇水平可能是由于压力、医疗条件或药物引起的。

"Cortisol affects many different functions so it is important to fully investigate how high levels of the hormone may affect the brain," said the study's author Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui with Harvard Medical School.

"皮质醇影响许多不同的功能，所以对皮质醇的水平会如何影响大脑进行充分研究是非常重要的，"来自哈佛医学院的研究作者Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui说道。

The researchers identified 2,231 people with an average age of 49 who were free of dementia. At the beginning of the study, each participant had a psychological exam and assessments⁶ for memory and thinking skills. Their memory and thinking skills were tested again an average of eight years later.

研究人员确定了2231名受试者，他们平均年龄49岁，不患有痴呆症。研究初期，每位受试者都进行了心理测试以及记忆力和思维能力评估测试。平均8年后，研究员再一次对他们的记忆力和思维能力进行测试。

Participants also provided a blood sample, taken in the morning after a period of fasting. Researchers measured cortisol levels in the blood and then divided participants into low, middle and high groups. A total of 2,018 participants also had an MRI brain scan to measure brain volume, according to the study.

受试者还提供了禁食一段时间之后的血液样本。研究人员测量了血液中的皮质醇水平，而后将受试者分为低水平、中间水平和高水平群组。研究表示，共计2018位受试者进行了磁共振成像脑部扫描以测量脑容量。

After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, and body mass index, researchers found that people with high levels of cortisol had lower scores on tests of memory and thinking skills than those with normal levels of cortisol.

在调整年龄、性别、吸烟情况和身体质量指数之后，研究员发现：相比皮质醇水平正常的受试者，皮质醇水平高的受试者在记忆力和思维能力测试中的得分更低。

But no links were found between low cortisol levels and memory or brain size.

但研究员并未发现低的皮质醇水平与记忆力和脑容量大小之间存在关联。

"Our research detected memory loss and brain shrinkage in middle-aged people before symptoms started to show, so it's important for people to find ways to reduce stress, such as getting enough sleep, engaging in moderate exercise, incorporating relaxation⁷ techniques into their daily lives, or asking their doctor about their cortisol levels and taking a cortisol-reducing medication if needed," said Echouffo-Tcheugui.

"我们的研究发现：在出现症状之前，中年人就已经开始健忘和脑萎缩了，所以找到方法缓解压力是非常重要的（比如获得充足的睡眠、进行适度锻炼、将放松技巧融入日常生活，咨询医生你的皮质醇水平，如若必要，服用降皮质醇的药物，）"Echouffo-Tcheugui说道。