New York, March 14 A single episode of severe stress could kill new nerve cells in the brain and may fuel depression, says a new study.

Working on rats, researchers at Rosalind Franklin University in Illinois found that cells were lost in the hippocampus, an area of the brain that processes learning, memory and emotion, said the online edition of BBC News.

The hippocampus is one of two regions of the brain that continues to develop new nerve cells throughout life in both rats and humans.

The researchers believe the loss of cells could be a cause of depression. However, their work also raises hope of possible treatments to stop acute stress from contributing to mood problems.

They found that cells tended to die not immediately following a stressful situation, but after a delay of 24 hours or more. In principle, they argue it could eventually be possible to administer treatment during this time to prevent cells being lost.

Lead researcher Daniel Peterson said the next step was to understand how stress reduced cell survival. (IANS)