When there are low levels of stress, cortisol acts on NMDA receptors within the hippocampus. This process promotes long-term potentiation that improves learning and memory for the person. After the threshold is at its limit, long-term potentiation ceases to work; this promotes long-term depression to become dominant. After the threshold is reached this involves a decrease in learning and memory causing a lowered overall affect. The hippocampus is able to regulate the stress being received, but long-term potentiation learning and memory may have potential or at risk depending on high the stress level has been acquired (Powerpoint: Emotion regulation). Stress effects health in all ways, one major way would be how it affects the poor. Sapolsky (1994) states, “Poverty is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, ulcers, rheumatoid disorders, psychiatric diseases, and a number of types of cancer, just to name a few” (p. 272). Being in poverty heightens stress levels to dangerous levels causing these types of diseases and outbreaks within the