The effects of prolonged stress exposure on the brain of rats and insights to understand the impact of work-related stress on caregivers

Stress exposure is a significant concern in the healthcare sector. This animal model study aims to reproduce caregivers' working conditions and determine their impact on the brain. Twenty-four healthy male rats of the Wistar strain were divided into four groups. Three groups were submitted each to one stressor for 21 days, while the fourth group was used as a control. Stressors were food and water deprivation (FW), permanent illumination (PI), and forced swimming (FS). At the end of the experiment, rats were euthanized, and stress biomarkers, biological parameters, and DNA damage were measured. Prooxidant biomarker rates increased in the different groups (+50 to +75%) compared to the control (