[thedoc (OP)]

SC asked the Naked Scientists:
      Also, I thought of another one that would help me explain what pressure actually is to the New Zealanders.
I have worked in the automotive industry and electrical trade for most of my life.  What is happening when someone puts you under intense pressure. Is this just blood flow to the brain? Why does it make it more difficult to retrieve memories.  And why do people that are exposed to this continually experience for lack of a better word a 'skip' in brain activity, that appears to be cumulative.  Is this a deteriorative effect? 

What do you think?

[Atomic-S]

Not sure, but divers below a certain depth run into nitrogen narcosis which affects their mental functioning.