ADAPTATION TO THE STRESS OF ACADEMIC EXAMINATIONS IN MEDICAL STUDENTS: INCREASED ANTIOXIDANT DEFENSE AND NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR DERIVED FROM THE BRAIN
Palavras-chave:
BDNF, Stress, psychological stress, oxidative stress, academic performance.Resumo
Academic examination may cause stress and promote oxidative stress, producing metabolites that can lead to cell damage and death. On the other hand, it involves learning and memorization, requiring the production of neurotrophic factors. Thus, we aimed to analyze oxidative stress and neurotrophic factor markers in the plasma of medical students under academic assessments. For this, two blood samples were collected from 30 students in the 7th semester of their medicine degree, in the period immediately following the vacations, and minutes before academic assessments. The stress of students was investigated by applying Lipp Inventory of Stress Symptoms for Adults (ISSL) during blood samples collections. Oxidative stress was verified byÂmeasuring TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) and TEAC (trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity); neurotrophic factor was measured by evaluating BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) concentration. No significant difference was found in the stress of the students in the two contexts studied, with the resistance phase predominating among the stressed students. The TBARS concentration did not differ between samples. However, TEAC was higher on the day of the assessments, with a positive correlation between these two parameters, accompanied by an increase in BDNF. We conclude that occurs elevation of antioxidant defense in order to maintain the redox equilibrium in plasma of medical students at pre-examinations. This is followed by increased BDNF that may favor the learning and academic performance.
 Keywords: BDNF; Stress; psychological stress; oxidative stress; academic performance.