Influence Of Acute Stress Research Articles

TSST-OL: Comparison between online and laboratory application and effects on empathy

Online test protocols are increasingly popular in psychological and neuroscientific research. Despite its relevance to the social functioning, the influence of acute stress on cognitive and affective state empathy is not clearly understood. Recently, a remote online version (TSST-OL) of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was established for use in research with both children and adults. In general, the TSST-OL offers the opportunity for context-independent application (e.g., at the participants’ home or in field contexts). However, in order to exploit this opportunity, it seems crucial to validate the TSST-OL across different settings and contextual variables. We compared stress reactivity in response to the TSST-OL at home and in the laboratory. In a 2 ×2 factorial design, N=120 participants (n=60 women) underwent the TSST-OL and an online adaption of the friendly TSST (fTSST-OL) either at home (n=60) or at the laboratory (n=60). Stress induction was evaluated in terms of physiological (cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase, sAA) and subjective stress and affect measures. Participants also completed an empathy performance task after stress and control exposure. Results confirmed that the TSST-OL successfully induced stress both when conducted at participants’ homes and in the laboratory. Still, cortisol levels were higher during laboratory participation compared to application at home, likely due to anticipatory stress. Consequently, the TSST-OL in a home-based application seems to buffer anticipatory stress thus making it an attractive tool to study experimentally induced stress reactivity. Concerning empathy, positive emotions were generally better identified (cognitive empathy) and empathized (affective empathy) than negative emotions. For the latter, this difference was absent after stress, indicated by decreased affective empathy for positive emotions. Overall, this study indicates that the TSST-OL induces stress and validates the tool using a rigorous study design with sufficient participants and relevant stress parameters. Thus, future studies may apply the TSST-OL in different contexts and diverse samples. The findings on empathy under stress align with mixed results in existing research, highlighting the necessity for further investigations into empathy, considering various measurements, stimulus valence, and sex of the participant.

When stress enhances memory encoding: The beneficial effects of changing context

The effects of acute stress on memory encoding are complex, and we do not yet know all of the conditions that can determine whether stress at encoding improves or impairs memory. Recent work has found that changing contexts between encoding and stress can abolish the effects of post-encoding stress on memory, suggesting that context may play an important role in the effects of stress on memory. However, the role of context in the effects of stress on memory encoding is not yet known. We addressed this gap by examining the effects of context on the influence of acute stress on memory encoding. In a 2 × 2 experimental design, participants (N = 103) completed either a stressor (i.e., Socially Evaluated Cold Presser Test) or control task (i.e., warm water control) before completing a memory encoding task, which occurred in either in the same room as or a different room from the stressor or control task. Memory retrieval was tested for each participant within the context that they completed the encoding task. We found that, relative to nonstressed (i.e., control) participants, stressed participants who switched contexts prior to encoding showed better memory for both negative and neutral images. In contrast, when the stressor or control task occurred in the same room as memory encoding, stress had no beneficial effect on memory. These results highlight the importance of the ongoing context as a determinant of the effects of stress on memory encoding and present a challenge to current theoretical accounts of stress and memory.

Acute stress impairs visual path integration

Acute stress exerts substantial effects on episodic memory, which are often mediated by glucocorticoids, the end-product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Surprisingly little is known, however, about the influence of acute stress on human spatial navigation. One specific navigational strategy is path integration, which is linked to the medial entorhinal cortex, a region harboring glucocorticoid receptors and thus susceptible for stress effects. Here, we investigated effects of acute stress on path integration performance using a virtual homing task. We divided a sample of healthy young male participants into a stress group (nstress = 32) and a control group (ncontrol = 34). The stress group underwent the socially evaluated cold-pressor test, while the control group underwent a non-stressful control procedure. Stress induction was confirmed via physiological and subjective markers, including an increase of salivary cortisol concentrations. We applied linear mixed models to investigate the effect of acute stress on path integration depending on task difficulty and the presence or absence of spatial cues. These analyses revealed that stress impaired path integration especially in trials with high difficulty and led to greater decline of performance upon removal of spatial cues. Stress-induced deficits were strongly related to impaired distance estimation, and to a lesser extent to compromised rotation estimation. These behavioral findings are in accordance with the hypothesis that acute stress impairs path integration processes, potentially by affecting the entorhinal grid cell system. More generally, the current data suggests acute stress to impair cognitive functions mediated by medial temporal lobe regions outside the hippocampus.

Stress-induced pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine concentrations in female PTSD and depressive patients

Alterations of the hypothalamus pituitary-axis on one hand and heightened rates of somatic diseases and mortality on the other hand are consistently found for PTSD and MDD patients. A possible link between these factors might be the immune system, in particular pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. A ‘low-grade inflammation’ in PTSD and MDD patients was found, whereas the influence of acute stress and the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines was rarely examined. In this study, 17 female PTSD patients participated in the Trier social stress test while serum cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-10) were assessed. Cytokine levels of PTSD patients were compared with levels of female depressive patients (n = 18) and female healthy controls (n = 18). Group differences were assessed using a 3 (group) x 8 (time: −15, −1, +1, +10, +20, +30, +45, +60 min) ANCOVA for repeated measures with baseline values as covariates. There was no group difference regarding IL-6 levels (p = 0.920) but PTSD patients showed significantly higher levels of IL-10 compared with depressive patients (p < 0.001, d = 0.16) and healthy controls (p = 0.001, d = 0.38). Under acute stress, PTSD patients did not show the widely found elevated IL-6 levels but showed an increase of anti-inflammatory IL-10. Therefore, acute stress seems to promote an imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels in PTSD and might indicate a hyperreactive immune response. This should be considered in future studies to further understand the role of the immune system as a link between stress response and somatic diseases.

Dynamic Variation in Hippocampal Metabolism after Acute Stress Exposure: An In Vivo Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study at 9.4 T

An acute stress response is a complex process that activates the neuroendocrine and metabolic systems for homeostasis. A study on acute stress is important to understand how an organism adapts to stress for survival. However, most studies have focused on chronic stress, and there are few studies on acute stress. They have analyzed the metabolic alterations in the brain at a particular time after acute stress. This study explored the temporal variations of the brain metabolites in the hippocampus after acute restraint stress using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. All mice in the acute stress group were physically restrained for two hours in a 50 mL conical tube. A 9.4 T animal MRI and MRS scanner was used with point-resolved spectroscopy technique for data acquisition, which was repeated four times without interscan interval. Metabolites were quantified from the data using LCModel with a simulated basis set. Based on the change in concentration of metabolites, the data were statistically analyzed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance between groups and a support vector machine for all time points and Student’s t-test with FDR correction for each time point. The present study found that the differences between groups are significantly ( P &lt; 0.05 ) presented in alanine and glutamate. The effect of time of the two metabolites significantly exists ( P &lt; 0.05 ): the first, second, and third time points in alanine and the first and second time points in glutamate. A combination of stress-specific metabolites (alanine, glutamate, N-acetyl-aspartate) that best reflect the influence of acute stress was determined using a support vector machine. These findings may indicate the importance of the timing of analysis after acute stress and provide new insights into a deeper understanding of acute stress response, including the molecular mechanism of stress-related disorders and stress resilience or vulnerability.

Influence of acute stress on attentional bias toward threat: How a previous trauma exposure disrupts threat apprehension

While previous trauma exposure is known to be a risk factor for the development and maintenance of many psychological disorders, it remains unclear how it increases individual risk for prospective psychopathology in the aftermath of a new trauma exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate how a prior exposure to trauma affects attentional processing of threat before and after an acute stress task. Specifically, we assessed attentional biases to threat before and after a cold pressor task in 17 individuals who have been exposed to trauma (TE) compared to 18 individuals without trauma exposure (NTE). Behavioral results showed difficulties to disengage from threat in TE but not in the control group prior to stress induction, as well as a switch to an attentional bias toward threat after the cold pressor task in the TE group. For the ERPs, we highlighted (1) decreased N1 negativity in response to threatening stimuli after an acute stress in both groups, and (2) a parallel increase in P1 for such stimuli only in the TE group. Those results suggest a vulnerability presented by previously traumatized individuals when dealing with threats as well as an acute responsitity toward stress. Those results are interpreted in regards with the theorical models of stress and anxiety.

Influence of stress on physiological synchrony in a stressful versus non-stressful group setting

Physiological synchrony (PS) is defined as the co-occurrence and interdependence of physiological activity between interaction partners. Previous research has uncovered numerous influences on the extent of PS, such as relationship type or individual characteristics. Here, we investigate the influence of acute stress on PS. We do so in a setting in which PS was not promoted, but contact between group members was explicitly minimized. We reanalyzed cortisol, alpha-amylase, and subjective stress data from 138 participants (mean age = 23.48 pm 3.99, 47.1% female) who previously underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G) or a non-stressful control task together, collected as part of a larger project by Popovic et al. (Sci Rep 10: 7845, 2020). Using a stability and influence model, an established method to test for synchrony, we tested whether individuals’ cortisol and alpha-amylase concentrations could be predicted by group members’ levels. We found cortisol PS in participants who were in the same group, the extent of which was stronger in the non-stressful control condition. For alpha-amylase, participants were synchronized as well; furthermore, there was an interaction between previous stress levels and PS. This suggests that while synchrony of both stress markers can occur in group settings even with spurious interaction, stressor exposure might attenuate its extent. We argue that if PS occurs in a sample where interaction was minimal, the phenomenon might be more widespread than previously thought. Furthermore, stressor exposure might influence whether a situation allows for PS. We conclude that PS should be investigated within group settings with various degrees of social interaction to further expose mechanisms of and influence on PS.

Dichotic listening performance and interhemispheric integration after stress exposure

Functional hemispheric asymmetries (FHAs) have been thought to be relatively stable over time. However, past research has shown that FHAs are more plastic than initially thought. Endocrinological processes have been demonstrated to alter FHAs. As the product of the stress-activated hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis, cortisol influences information processing at every level from stimulus perception to decision making and action. To investigate the influence of acute stress on FHAs, 60 participants performed a Banich–Belger task, as well as a verbal and an emotional dichotic listening task in two sessions. One session included a stress induction via the Trier Social Stress Test, the other session included a control procedure. We calculated across-field advantages (AFAs) in the Banich–Belger task and lateralization quotients for reaction times and responses per side in both dichotic listening tasks. There were no significant differences between the stress and control session in the dichotic listening tasks. In contrast, there was evidence for an influence of cortisol and sympathetic activation indicated by salivary alpha amylase changes on AFAs in the Banich–Belger task. This indicates that acute stress and the related increase in cortisol do not influence dichotic listening performance. However, stress does seem to affect interhemispheric integration of information. Future research using EEG, fMRI and pharmacological interventions is needed to further characterize the relation of hemispheric asymmetries and acute stress.

The influence of acute stress on working memory: Physiological and psychological mechanisms

The influence of acute stress on working memory: Physiological and psychological mechanisms

The Effect of Information Formats and Incidental Affect on Prior and Posterior Probability Judgments

Background. Interpreting medical test results involves judging probabilities, including making Bayesian inferences such as judging the positive and negative predictive values. Although prior work has shown that experience formats (e.g., slide shows of representative patient cases) produce more accurate Bayesian inferences than description formats (e.g., verbal statistical summaries), there are disadvantages of using the experience format for real-world medical decision making that may be solved by presenting relevant information in a 2 × 2 table format. Furthermore, medical decisions are often made in stressful contexts, yet little is known about the influence of acute stress on the accuracy of Bayesian inferences. This study aimed to a) replicate the description-experience format effect on probabilistic judgments; b) examine judgment accuracy across description, experience, and a new 2 × 2 table format; and c) assess the effect of acute stress on probability judgments. Method. The study employed a 2 (stress condition) × 3 (format) factorial between-subjects design. Participants (N = 165) completed a Bayesian inference task in which information about a medical screening test was presented in 1 of 3 formats (description, experience, 2 × 2 table), following a laboratory stress induction or a no-stress control condition. Results. Overall, the 2 × 2 table format produced the most accurate probability judgments, including Bayesian inferences, compared with the description and experience formats. Stress had no effect on judgment accuracy. Discussion. Given its accuracy and practicality, a 2 × 2 table may be better suited than description or experience formats for communicating probabilistic information in medical contexts.

704-P: Influence of Acute Stress on Heart Rate and Glycemia during Exercise

People with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have personal strategies for maintaining euglycemia while exercising which generally serves them well during training. Their strategy often yields wildly differing results during a competition. The influence of competition stress (notably, epinephrine causing prompt elevations in glucose) and high-intensity and/or long-duration efforts can yield dysglycemia. Two different studies were conducted to observe this phenomenon. In a small study of subjects with T1D completing athletic competitions, perceived stress level as reported by the individual is insufficient for determination impact upon glycemia. An elevated heart rate during the competition over what was observed at the same running pace in training was a better indicator of an increase in glycemia. To recreate an athletic stress scenario in a clinical setting, 13 subjects with T1D completed a low intensity treadmill protocol for 3 sessions: non-stress, verbally reported mental math with an audience, and stressful video games to observe the influence on glycemia and heart rate. The treadmill protocol, prior meal, and insulin doses were matched for each individual for the 3 sessions. When compared to the non-stress treadmill session, an elevated average heart rate was observed in 10 of the 13 video game sessions and an elevated average glucose was observed in 9 of the 13 video game sessions. In the mental math sessions, an average heart rate elevated heart rate was observed in 6 of the 13 sessions with 7 of 13 having a higher average glucose compared to the non-stress session. While individual response to acute stress yields a high degree of intersubject variability, the video game sessions may more closely match the competition stress experienced and physiological response to stress observed during an athletic competition. The cause of the stressor may be critical in detection of stress and predicting glycemic response for the management of T1D. Disclosure N. Hobbs: None. M. Park: None. M. Chu: None. Y. Song: None. L.T. Quinn: None. M. Sevil: None. A. Cinar: Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc., JDRF. Stock/Shareholder; Self; Dexcom, Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S, Tandem Diabetes Care. Funding JDRF (A18-0036-001); National Institutes of Health (DP3DK101075, F31DK116524)

MON-446 Glucocorticoids in Hair, Fingernail, and Blood as Biomarkers of Systemic Exposure

Background: Chronic, cumulative stress has been shown to negatively impact on health and wellbeing. Indigenous Australians often experience multiple stressful events across the life course. While hair samples have been the most often used chronic stress biomarker, limitations exist based on availability, cultural acceptability and possible influence of acute stress on levels. Fingernails samples have recently been explored with promising results. This study examines the correlation between cortisol and cortisone levels in hair and fingernails and their association with blood levels in an at-risk population. Methods: Cross-sectional data (2013-2015) obtained from 459 Indigenous and 117 non-Indigenous young adults aged 21-27. Directly collected height and weight used to calculate body mass index (BMI; kg/m2). Fingernail samples were clipped directly into a plastic bag and scalp hair samples cut from the posterior vertex area. Hair and fingernail samples were fragmented and then twice extracted with 1.5ml methanol as reported by Sharpley et al 2009. Methanol was evaporated under vacuum and then the residue redissolved in 100ul of methanol and analysed by LC/MS/MS using a Shimadzu UPLC and 8050 Mass Spectrometer. Log linear relationship between (i) cortisol and cortisone; (ii) sample methods was assessed by Pearson’s correlation and multivariable regression. Results: Sample numbers varied; blood (Indigenous 410; non-Indigenous 108), hair (Indigenous 333; non-Indigenous 84), and fingernail (Indigenous 189; non-Indigenous 67). Median cortisol levels were lower than cortisone in hair (3.3 vs 5.7 pg/mg) and fingernail (4.3 vs 13.8 pg/mg), but higher in blood (71.6 vs 13.1 mmol/L). Cortisol and cortisone were correlated in all three sample methods. Examination of all available samples showed correlation between blood and hair cortisol (n=402, r=0.106, p=0.034) and between hair and fingernail cortisol (n=222, r=0.182, p=0.007) but not between fingernail and blood (n=242, r=-0.005, p=0.94). However, when limited to those who provided all three samples (n=211), only a correlation between hair and fingernail cortisol remained (r=0.184, p=0.007). The significant association between hair and fingernail was evident on adjustment for sex, Indigeneity and BMI. Similar results were seen in cortisone levels. Conclusions: Collection of fingernails provided an easily conducted, viable alternative to hair in this multicultural cohort. The correlation between cortisol and cortisone levels in hair and fingernail suggests both samples are reflective of chronic stress. Although not seen in the restricted cohort analysis, the possible weak correlation of hair with blood levels supports the need for further exploration of the mechanism of glucocorticoid incorporation in hair, as well in fingernails.

SENSITIVITY OF RAT BRAIN SENSORIMOTOR CORTEX NEURONS TO MEDIATORS IN HEMORRHAGIC STROKE

The problem of post-stress disorders of cerebral circulation, the most severe of which is cerebral hemorrhage, or hemorrhagic stroke, is extremely urgent. Concerning the survival rate, previous studies have shown that in the same type of conflict situations, individuals resistant and predisposed to emotional stressful influences are clearly distinguished. However, the neural mechanisms providing neuromediatory regulation of responses to stressful effects are still little studied. The analysis of neurochemical sensitivity to acetylcholine and norepinephrine of the sensorimotor cortex neurons of rats having different activity according to behavior parameters, i.e., resistance to emotional stress influences before and after experimental hemorrhagic stroke (EHS) was carried out. The recovery process after an EHS due to neural activity in prognostically stable (VA) and predisposed (NA) to stressful situation rats has individual characteristics. Acute stress influence before EHS development changes the nature of neurons activity of the sensorimotor cortex in VA and NA rats on the third and seventh day after EHS. EHS leads to specific changes in the sensitivity of neurons to acetylcholine and norepinephrine in VA and NA rats. Acetylcholine microionophoresis causes activation of the neuron impulse activity in VA and NA rats, and these changes are the same after EHS. Acute stress influence before EHS development does not change nature of neuron responses to norepinephrine microionophoresis in VA animals. On the contrary, in NA rats loss of neuron sensitivity to norepinephrine during EHS development against stress was noted. It is possible that acute stress influence before EHS development can change brain noradrenergic system activity in NA rats, which are prognostically predisposed to stress influences. The data obtained stress the plasticity of the central nervous structure in development of response to stressful influences. (The ethics commission approval protocol number is 18-15 from 13th of Marth 2018.)

Chronic Stress and Moral Decision-Making: An Exploration With the CNI Model.

Stress is prevalent in our daily life, and people often make moral decision-making in a stressful state. Several studies indicated the influence of acute stress on moral decision-making and behavior. The present study extended the investigation to chronic stress, and employed a new approach, the CNI model, to add new insights regarding the mechanism underlying the association between chronic stress and moral decision-making. A total of 197 undergraduates completed the Perceived Stress Scale and made moral decision-making on a series of deliberately designed moral dilemmas. The results indicated that higher chronic stress was related to more deontological moral choices. The process-dissociation analyses revealed that chronic stress was marginally significantly associated with deontological inclinations but not with utilitarian inclinations. And the CNI model analyses suggested that the high-stress group (above the median) showed a stronger general preference for inaction than the low-stress group (below the median) did, but there were no significant differences in sensitivity to consequences or sensitivity to moral norms between the two groups. Finally, the implications of the findings were discussed.

The Influence of Acute Stress on Brain Dynamics During Task Switching Activities

Task switching is a common method to investigate executive functions such as working memory and attention. This paper investigates the effect of acute stress on brain activity using task switching. Surprisingly few studies have been conducted in this area. There is behavioral and physiological evidence to indicate that acute stress makes the participants more tense which results in a better performance. In this current study, under stressful conditions, the participants gave quick responses with high accuracy. However, unexpected results were found in relation to salivary cortisol. Furthermore, the electroencephalogram results showed that acute stress was pronounced at the frontal and parietal midline cortex, especially on the theta, alpha, and gamma bands. One possible explanation for these results may be that the participants changed their strategy in relation to executive functions during stressful conditions by paying more attention which resulted in a higher working memory capacity which enhanced performance during the task switching.

Relationship between cortisol reactivity to psychosocial stress and declarative memory decline during aging: Impact of age and sex.

To analyze the relationship between memory performance and the neuroendocrine and cardiovascular response to acute psychosocial stress in healthy older people, and the sex and age impact in this relationship. We randomly selected 100 literate older adults, without cognitive or functional impairment. The neuroendocrine stress response was evaluated by measuring the concentration of salivary cortisol, whereas cardiovascular reactions were determined based on blood pressure and heart rate measures taken before, during and after participant exposure to an acute psychosocial stressor (the Trier social stress test [TSST]). Memory performance was evaluated by applying the word pairs test before and after the TSST. A significant reduction in the word pair test scores was observed after the TSST, and a negative correlation between cortisol concentration and immediate and delayed recall of the word pair. Cortisol concentration associated with age, sex and education explained memory performance variability before and after the TSST. The results showed that the influence of acute stress on memory performance during aging might vary according to age and sex, highlighting potential differences in the vulnerability of older individuals to the neurotoxic effects of stress exposure on memory and consequently on the development of cognitive disorders. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 169-176.

Influence of acute stress on decision outcomes and heuristics.

The purpose of this study was to examine the take-the-first (TTF) heuristic and decision outcomes in sports under conditions of no, mental, and physical stress. Participants (N.=68) performed 8 video decision-making trials under each of 3 stress conditions: no stress (counting backwards), mental stress (mental serial subtraction), and physical stress (running on treadmill at 13 RPE). Prior to each decision-making trial, participants were exposed to 30 seconds of stress. The decision-making task required participants to watch a video depicting an offensive situation in basketball and then decide what the player with the ball should do next. No differences were found between the 3 stress conditions on TTF frequency, number of options generated, quality of first generated option, or final decision quality. However, participants performing under conditions of no stress and physical stress generated their first option and made their final decision faster than they did when making decisions under mental stress. Overall, results suggest that mental stress impairs decision speed and that TTF is an ecologically rationale heuristic in dynamic, time-pressured situations.

P-05-001 The influence of acute-stress on the down-regulation of sexual arousal

P-05-001 The influence of acute-stress on the down-regulation of sexual arousal

The impact of acute stress on hormones and cytokines, and how their recovery is affected by music-evoked positive mood.

Stress and recovery from stress significantly affect interactions between the central nervous system, endocrine pathways, and the immune system. However, the influence of acute stress on circulating immune-endocrine mediators in humans is not well known. Using a double-blind, randomized study design, we administered a CO2 stress test to n = 143 participants to identify the effects of acute stress, and recovery from stress, on serum levels of several mediators with immune function (IL-6, TNF-α, leptin, and somatostatin), as well as on noradrenaline, and two hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones (ACTH and cortisol). Moreover, during a 1 h-recovery period, we repeatedly measured these serum parameters, and administered an auditory mood-induction protocol with positive music and a neutral control stimulus. The acute stress elicited increases in noradrenaline, ACTH, cortisol, IL-6, and leptin levels. Noradrenaline and ACTH exhibited the fastest and strongest stress responses, followed by cortisol, IL-6 and leptin. The music intervention was associated with more positive mood, and stronger cortisol responses to the acute stressor in the music group. Our data show that acute (CO2) stress affects endocrine, immune and metabolic functions in humans, and they show that mood plays a causal role in the modulation of responses to acute stress.

Influence of acute stress on biligenic function of the liver in the condіtions of local skin cryodestruction in the experiment

&lt;p&gt;In animals with local сryodestruction 10 % of the surface of the skin without xenodermoplast acute stress&lt;br /&gt;significantly deepens the violation of biligenic liver function values of total bile acids and the degree of conjugation&lt;br /&gt;of bilirubin in the bile, which is faster at least – after 7 days, whereas animals in non-stress – after 14 days.&lt;br /&gt;Further performance increases and non-stress animals reach the level of the control group. Amid cryotrauma&lt;br /&gt;using xenodermoplast in stress animals reach a minimum level of performance in 7 days post-traumatic period.&lt;br /&gt;Subsequently, they increased and normalized in 28 days. In non-stress animal figures are gradually declining from&lt;br /&gt;1 to 21 days. At the time they reach minimum value and are significantly lower than in stress animals. Before 28&lt;br /&gt;days indexes do not reach the level of control.&lt;/p&gt;