Activating the HPA axis also interferes with our ability to think clearly. The processing of information in the forebrain (conscious mind), the center of executive reasoning and logic, is significantly slower than the reflex activity controlled by the hindbrain (subconscious mind). In an emergency, the faster the information processing, the more likely the organism will survive. Adrenal stress hormones constrict the blood vessels in the forebrain, reducing its ability to engage in conscious volitional action. Constriction of forebrain blood vessels redirects vascular flow to the hindbrain. The
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