Stress Can Literally Make You Lose Your Direction, According to New MRI Evidence

Researchers found that cortisol can impair spatial navigation by weakening grid-cell signals in the entorhinal cortex.

In a study of 40 healthy men, participants given cortisol made larger errors on a virtual navigation task than those given a placebo.

The effect was strongest when landmarks were missing, and caudate nucleus activity rose as a possible compensation.

The findings suggest stress hormones may disrupt brain systems involved in navigation, with possible relevance to dementia and Alzheimer's disease.