scholarly journals The key to superior memory encoding under stress: the relationship between cortisol response and mnemonic discrimination

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-15
Author(s):  
Ágnes Szőllősi ◽  
Szabolcs Kéri ◽  
Mihály Racsmány
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Psychological Stressors ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Some previous studies have shown that increased stress hormone levels have beneficial effects on memory encoding; however, there is no clear consensus on which encoding-related processes are affected by stress hormones. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between interindividual differences in neuroendocrine response to acute stress and interference resolution (i.e., mnemonic discrimination). Participants were healthy young adults who were exposed to physical and psychological stressors (Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test). Then participants completed the modified version of the Mnemonic Similarity Task. Specifically, they were presented with photographs of emotionally arousing (negative and positive) and nonarousing (neutral) scenes followed by a recognition memory test where they saw a mixture of old and new stimuli. Crucially, participants were also presented with critical lure items, that is, visually similar stimuli to ones presented at encoding. We found that participants who had higher cortisol response to the stressors were better in discriminating between the studied items and their visually similar lures. This effect was present for the arousing and nonarousing materials as well. These findings suggest that increased hormonal response to acute stress has a beneficial impact on the formation of distinct, nonoverlapping, unique memory representations, and consequently, on episodic memory encoding processes.

Endothelin Receptor Blockade Blunts the Pressor Response to Acute Stress in Obese Men and Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cassandra C. Derella ◽  
Anson M. Blanks ◽  
Xiaoling Wang ◽  
Matthew A. Tucker ◽  
Chase Horsager ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Endothelin Receptor ◽  
Treatment Results ◽  
Endothelin 1 ◽  
Endothelin System ◽  
The Impact

Obesity is associated with dysregulation of the endothelin system. In obese individuals, an exaggerated pressor response to acute stress is accompanied by increased circulating endothelin-1. The impact of combined endothelin A/B receptor (ETA/B) antagonism on the stress-induced pressor response in overweight/obese individuals is unknown. Objective: To test the hypothesis that treatment with an ETA/B antagonist (bosentan) would reduce the stress-induced pressor response and arterial stiffness in overweight/obese compared to normal weight individuals. Methods: 40 participants [Normal weight (NW): n=20, BMI: 21.7 ± 2.4 kg/m2 & Overweight/obese (OB): n=20, BMI: 33.8 ± 8.2 kg/m2] were randomized to placebo or 125 mg of bosentan twice a day (250 mg total) for 3 days. Hemodynamics were assessed before, during, and after a cold pressor test (CPT). Endothelin-1 was assessed at baseline and immediately after CPT. Following a washout period, the same protocol was repeated with the opposite treatment. Results: The change from baseline in mean arterial pressure (MAP) during CPT following bosentan was significantly lower (p=0.039) in the OB group, compared to the NW group (OB: 28±12 vs LN: 34±15 mm Hg). Conclusions: These results suggest that ETA/B antagonism favorably blunts the pressor response to acute stress in overweight/obese individuals.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Personality Characteristics and Acute Pain Response in Postadolescent Males

1992 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barton P. Buxton ◽  
David H. Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Acute Pain ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Personality Characteristic ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Personality Characteristics ◽  
Pain Response ◽  
Myers Briggs Type Indicator ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between personality characteristics, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (form G), and an acute pain response in 107 postadolescent men. Subjects included 107 military school cadets. Each subject performed a cold pressor test (CPT) and was evaluated for pain threshold and pain tolerance times. Each was then evaluated for preference on eight personality characteristics: extraversion, introversion, sensing, intuition, thinking, feeling, judging, and perception. The personality characteristics were measured by the MBT1 (form G). Pearson product-moment correlations between the pain threshold and tolerance times and the eight personality characteristic scores were nonsignificant. The results indicated there was no relationship between the eight personality characteristics, as measured by the MBTI (form G), and pain threshold or pain tolerance, as measured by the CPT, The findings also indicated a low correlation between pain threshold and pain tolerance (r=.25).

scholarly journals Perceived chronic stress influences the effect of acute stress on cognitive flexibility

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Knauft ◽  
Alexander Waldron ◽  
Mishali Mathur ◽  
Vrinda Kalia
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Salivary Alpha Amylase ◽  
Perseverative Errors ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractExecutive functions are cognitive processes that facilitate goal-directed behavior by enabling us to direct and control our thoughts. Cognitive flexibility is an executive function characterized by the ability to mentally shift between rules, strategies, or tasks. Several studies have reported that acute (brief) stress impairs cognitive flexibility. Even though an individual’s perception of their chronic stress levels is shown to influence effects of future stressors, the interactive effect of acute and perceived chronic stress on cognitive flexibility is not known. We conducted two experiments to address this gap. In both studies, perceived chronic stress was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale. Acute stress was induced using the Cold Pressor Test. Number of perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was used as an indicator of cognitive flexibility. In Study 2, we also measured salivary alpha amylase as a marker of the physiological stress response. Data from our two studies are consistent with the hypothesis that an individual’s perception of their chronic stress level may impact the effect of acute stress on perseveration. In Study 1, we observed a significant interaction between acute and perceived chronic stress on perseverative errors, such that only individuals who reported high levels of perceived chronic stress prior to acute stress exposure showed no change in perseveration following the acute stress manipulation. This effect did not differ based on participant sex. In Study 2, we found a similar interaction effect of acute and perceived chronic stress on perseverative errors in an all-woman sample. After identifying salivary alpha amylase responders and non-responders, we observed a strong, negative correlation between perceived chronic stress and perseverative errors amongst the responders only. Our data highlight the value in studying salivary alpha amylase in response to acute stress exposure. Additionally, perceived chronic stress emerged as a key variable in the relationship between acute stress and cognitive flexibility. Overall, our work suggests that future research interested in interrogating moderators in the relationship between acute stress and cognition would benefit from inclusion of measures of chronic stress.

Stress Elevates Frontal Midline Theta in Feedback-based Category Learning of Exceptions

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 799-813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Paul ◽  
Marie-Christin Fellner ◽  
Gerd T. Waldhauser ◽  
John Paul Minda ◽  
Nikolai Axmacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Category Learning ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Feedback Processing ◽  
Theta Power ◽  
Frontal Midline Theta ◽  
Category Knowledge

Adapting behavior based on category knowledge is a fundamental cognitive function, which can be achieved via different learning strategies relying on different systems in the brain. Whereas the learning of typical category members has been linked to implicit, prototype abstraction learning, which relies predominantly on prefrontal areas, the learning of exceptions is associated with explicit, exemplar-based learning, which has been linked to the hippocampus. Stress is known to foster implicit learning strategies at the expense of explicit learning. Procedural, prefrontal learning and cognitive control processes are reflected in frontal midline theta (4–8 Hz) oscillations during feedback processing. In the current study, we examined the effect of acute stress on feedback-based category learning of typical category members and exceptions and the oscillatory correlates of feedback processing in the EEG. A computational modeling procedure was applied to estimate the use of abstraction and exemplar strategies during category learning. We tested healthy, male participants who underwent either the socially evaluated cold pressor test or a nonstressful control procedure before they learned to categorize typical members and exceptions based on feedback. The groups did not differ significantly in their categorization accuracy or use of categorization strategies. In the EEG, however, stressed participants revealed elevated theta power specifically during the learning of exceptions, whereas the theta power during the learning of typical members did not differ between the groups. Elevated frontal theta power may reflect an increased involvement of medial prefrontal areas in the learning of exceptions under stress.

Role of Fitness in Mediating Stress: A Correlational Exploration of Stress Reactivity

1991 ◽  
Vol 73 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1171-1180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Brandon ◽  
J. Mark Loftin ◽  
Jack Curry
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Maximal Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
The Relationship

Researchers have investigated the effect of exercise on reducing subjects' responsiveness to stress. Results from the initial studies were positive, yet these studies often did not use objective measures of fitness. This investigation applied more rigorous methodology than past experiments to assess the relationship between fitness and reactivity to stress. Maximal oxygen consumption was measured to indicate the fitness of recreational cyclists who were then exposed to three stressful situations (mental subtraction, speech preparation, and the cold pressor test). Heart rate, frontalis electromyographic (EMG) levels, and self-report of tension were monitored during the stress-inducing tasks. Physical fitness was significantly related to heart rate taken during the subtraction and cold pressor tasks, with EMG during subtraction, and with self-report during all three stressor tasks. These results further support the hypothesized association of physical fitness and reducing response to stress.

Arterial elasticity and physical working capacity in young men

1986 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1720-1723 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Eugene ◽  
H. Vandewalle ◽  
J. F. Bertholon ◽  
A. Teillac
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Reactivity ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Cycle Ergometer ◽  
Arterial Elasticity ◽  
Physical Working Capacity ◽  
Working Capacity ◽  
The Relationship

We have tested the hypothesis that there is a positive relation between arterial elasticity and physical working capacity (PWC) at a given age. The subjects were 28 young men, 16–18 yr old. Arterial elasticity was evaluated by measuring the carotid to femoral pulse-wave velocity (c) at rest. The slope, S(c) of the relation between c and the diastolic blood pressure was studied during a cold pressor test to test vascular reactivity. The relationship between heart rate (HR) and work load was determined using a cycle ergometer; the variables measured were the slope of this relation S(PWC) and the power output at a HR of 170 min-1 (PWC170). The PWC170 ranged from 1.8 to 4.6 W/kg, and values of c ranged from 3.9 to 6.8 m/s. A strong inverse linear relation was found between c and PWC170 (r = -0.76), whereas the HR at rest was positively related to both c (r = 0.68) and PWC170 (r = 0.74). There was no relationship between HR at rest and the slopes S(c) and S(PWC); the latter two variables depend mainly on the sympathetic response. These results show the importance of the intrinsic mechanical properties of the cardiovascular system, particularly arterial elasticity, in human adaptations to muscular exercise.

scholarly journals Pain and Ethnicity in Athletes

1993 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barton P. Buxton ◽  
David H. Perrin ◽  
Ronald K. Hetzler ◽  
Kwok W. Ho ◽  
Joe H. Gieck
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Acute Pain ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Collegiate Athletes ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Pain Response ◽  
Male Athletes ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between ethnicity and acute pain response in male athletes. Subjects included 93 male athletes (age = 18.65 ± .58 years) of differing ethnicity. Each subject performed a Cold Pressor Test (CPT) and was evaluated for pain threshold and pain tolerance times. Two one-way analyses of variance were performed to analyze the data. The results indicated that significant differences existed in pain tolerance times between ethnic groups (p<.05). However, no differences were observed in pain threshold times. These findings support the existence of a difference in pain tolerance between ethnic groups in collegiate athletes.

scholarly journals Trait and state anxiety as factors of threshold and tolerance to experimentally induced pain

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 194-197
Author(s):  
B. Petrova ◽  
K. Mineva ◽  
M. Petkova ◽  
V. Nikolov ◽  
M. Minev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
State Anxiety ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Analog Scale ◽  
Trait And State Anxiety ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sensitivity To Pain ◽  
Healthy Persons ◽  
Experimentally Induced

Pain is an experience that has physical, psychological and social aspects. Sensitivity to pain is individual and depends on psychological factors. Studies have shown that anxiety is associated with the perception of experimentally induced pain. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between anxiety, threshold and tolerance to experimentally induced pain in healthy persons. METHODS: 35 healthy persons at the age from 19 to 39, 20 women and 15 men were examined. Methods: Spielberger’s questionnaire, Cold pressor test, Visual Analog Scale for Pain, Descriptive statistics, Correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney’s Test. RESULTS: Significant differences in tolerance to pain were identified depending on the levels of state anxiety (U=12.5, Р=0.037). The state anxiety was greatly related to the intensity of the pain experienced. (Spearman rho=0.49, P=0.008). Significant differences were not found in threshold, tolerance and intensity of pain depending on the levels of trait anxiety in the examined people. CONCLUSIONS: The increased levels of state anxiety in healthy persons exposed to experimentally induced pain suggest a weaker endurance to pain and perceiving it as stronger.

scholarly journals Predicting price intervals under exogenously induced stress

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0255038
Author(s):  
Steven Shead ◽  
Robert B. Durand ◽  
Stephanie Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Prediction Interval ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Experimental Protocol ◽  
Price Forecast ◽  
Mediating Factors ◽  
Induced Stress ◽  
Lower Confidence ◽  
The Relationship

We present an experimental protocol to examine the relationship between exogenously induced stress and confidence in a setting applicable to financial markets. Confidence will be measured by a prediction interval for a one period ahead price forecast, based on a series of 100 previous prices; narrower (wider) prediction intervals will be indicative of greater (lower) confidence. Stress will be induced using the Cold Pressor Arm Wrap, a variation of the Cold Pressor Test. Risk attitudes, and personality traits are also considered as mediating factors.

scholarly journals Regularity extraction under stress: boosted statistical learning but unaffected sequence learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eszter Tóth-Fáber ◽  
Karolina Janacsek ◽  
Ágnes Szőllősi ◽  
Szabolcs Kéri ◽  
Dezső Németh
Keyword(s):  
Learning And Memory ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Serial Order ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Predictive Processing ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Stress Induction ◽  
Statistical Regularities

AbstractAcute stress can crucially influence learning and memory processes. One of the key processes underlying human learning and memory is the ability of our brain to rapidly detect and extract regularities from sensory input across time and space leading to effective predictive processing. Here, we aimed to get an in-depth look into the effect of stress on the acquisition of two aspects of regularity extraction. We examined whether and how stress affects (1) processes and learning of probability-based, statistical regularities and (2) serial order-based, sequential regularities in the same experimental design, and (3) explicit access to the acquired information. Considering that the acquisition of statistical regularities is a rapid process, we primarily focused on the early phases of the task. We induced stress with the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test in 27 young adults, while 26 participants were enrolled in the control group. Salivary cortisol levels and subjective ratings of affective states showed successful stress induction. After the stress induction, we measured regularity extraction with the cued Alternating Serial Reaction Time task. We found that stress promoted the acquisition of statistical regularities and did not alter the learning of sequential regularities. Post-block reports showed weaker explicit access to the sequential regularities in the stress group. Our results give a process-level understanding on how stress alters learning and memory functions related to predictive processes.

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