Abstract
The aim of this clinical study was to determine the efficacy of bilateral alternating somatosensory stimulation for the management of stress and anxiety during and after the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a laboratory procedure for reliably inducing stress in human subjects. For this, a randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blinded clinical trial of 80 qualified subjects was conducted. Subjects were randomized into two groups, a treatment group (n=40) and a control (placebo) group (n=40). Metrics of emotional stress assessed were a subjective rating of the level of emotional stress and salivary cortisol levels, both obtained at 3 timepoints: before treatment (baseline), immediately following completion of the TSST, and after 20 minutes of rest following completion of the TSST. Results showed that the treatment group had a statistically greater decrease in the subjective rating of stress relative to the control group both immediately following the TSST and 20 minutes after the TSST. Salivary cortisol levels in the treatment group were also lower than the control group at those same time points. These results suggest that bilateral alternating somatosensory stimulation may be effective in reducing subjective levels of stress and anxiety. It also may actively attenuate stress-related cortisol levels, which may reflect a mechanism for reducing cortisol-induced inflammation back to baseline after exposure to stressful situations.
Highlights
Stress and stress-related disorders are responsible for a significant amount of disability worldwide
Previous work has demonstrated that repeated social and physical stressors are associated with changes in the amygdala that often results in clear social avoidance [4]
Two metrics of stress were measured in each subject: a subjective rating of the level of emotional stress, and the level of salivary cortisol, a hormone whose release is associated with psychosocial stress [21,22]. Measurement for both metrics were taken at three time points for each subject: baseline, immediately following completion of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and after 20 minutes of rest following the completion of the TSST
Summary
Stress and stress-related disorders are responsible for a significant amount of disability worldwide. The term “stress” is used in a wide variety of contexts, it has consistently been demonstrated that individuals with high levels of stress experience impaired physical and mental functioning with more work days lost and a greater utilization of health care services [1]. Excessive stress is a common complaint in modernized countries, which negatively affects quality of life. Chronic stress has a negative effect on multiple brain functions, causing impairment of many executive skills, including working memory, decision making and attentional control [3]. Excessive stress can cause physical symptoms, including headaches, insomnia, reduced immune function, and pain. The TSST was employed in this study to induce a stress response to a socially evaluative situation. The period of induced stress lasted approximately 15 minutes and was divided into 5-minute components
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