It is shown in rats that the structures of brain stem (medial and lateral nuclei)are involved in the mechanisms of individual resistance to emotional stress (immobilization and cutaneous electrostimulation). Bilateral destruction of brain stem structures reduces this resistance, which manifests itself as behavioral changes in the open field test (the behavior of rats resistant to stress resembles that of rats prone to it), increased adrenal hypertrophy, thymic involution, and high mortality under conditions of emotional stress.