There is a negative correlation between psychosocial resources and cortisol levels. Reseach has concluded that individuals who have more access to psychosocial resources have greater right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and less amygdala activity during a threat regulation tasks. 

SES and Chronic Stress: the neurobiological explanation 

Socioeconomic Status (SES) can be used to predict the likelihood that an individual will develop chronic stress. This is because individuals adverse economic experiences often result in repeated encounters with stress.

Arizona State University

Response to prolonged periods of psychological stress (that can lead to poor mental health) involving the endocrine system and its release of corticosteroids, which increases over time as a result of this.

Chronic Stress is the result in an Overactivation of the HPA-axis

Crielaard, L., Nicolaou, M., Sawyer, A., Quax, R., & Stronks, K. (2021). Understanding the impact of exposure to adverse socioeconomic conditions on chronic stress from a complexity science perspective. BMC Medicine, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-021-02106-1

Understanding the impact of exposure to adverse socioeconomic conditions on chronic stress from a complexity science perspective. 

- Chronic stress, from events like COVID-19, causes damage to the circuits in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus
   - Includes the breakdown do dendrites impairing neuron action
      - Dendrites are responsible for received signals
   - Damage to the hippocampus impairs memory
   - The prefrontal cortex is responsible for higher order thinking

Physiological Impact of Chronic Stress from COVID-19

The release of glucocorticoids, following the body's stress response, bind to receptors in the hippocampus (associated with memory functioning). Extended release of this hormone, brought upon by chronic stress, can compromise the structure of this hippocampus region.

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