'take an animal who is ready to learn into a potentially stressful situation, not a stressed learner into a possibly stressed situation' (Chirag Patel)
Reducing stress will enhance learning
Acute stress prevents memory storage
When cortisol reaches the hippocampus, the hippocampus's dendritic spines begin to disintegrate rapidly
The hippocampus is responsible for consolidating information from short term into long term memory
When dendritic spines degrade, the brain's ability to identify and store information is significantly inhibited
Dendritic spines can grow back
Though prolonged exposure to stress can shrink the hippocampus
Prolonged exposure to the primary stress hormone cortisol will also have a direct effect on the lungs, heart, circulatory system, metabolism, immune system and the skin
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Empower to Reduce Stress
design a training protocol that allows the animals to have control, choice, a way of the animal saying 'no' or 'I need a break'
Training should be conversation between the animal and trainer
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