Does Psychosocial Stress Impact Cognitive Reappraisal? Behavioral and Neural Evidence

Cognitive reappraisal (CR) is regarded as an effective emotion regulation strategy. Acute stress, however, is believed to impair the functioning of prefrontal-based neural systems, which could result in lessened effectiveness of CR under stress. This study tested the behavioral and neurobiological impact of acute stress on CR. While undergoing fMRI, adult participants ( n = 54) passively viewed or used CR to regulate their response to negative and neutral pictures and provided ratings of their negative affect in response to each picture. Half of the participants experienced an fMRI-adapted acute psychosocial stress manipulation similar to the Trier Social Stress Test, and a control group received parallel manipulations without the stressful components. Relative to the control group, the stress group exhibited heightened stress as indexed by self-report, heart rate, and salivary cortisol throughout the scan. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that reappraisal success was equivalent in the control and stress groups, as was electrodermal response to the pictures. Heart rate deceleration, a physiological response typically evoked by aversive pictures, was blunted in response to negative pictures and heightened in response to neutral pictures in the stress group. In the brain, we found weak evidence of stress-induced increases of reappraisal-related activity in parts of the PFC and left amygdala, but these relationships were statistically fragile. Together, these findings suggest that both the self-reported and neural effects of CR may be robust to at least moderate levels of stress, informing theoretical models of stress effects on cognition and emotion.

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Acute Psychological Stress Disrupts Attentional Bias to Threat-Related Stimuli

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-14138-w ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Caihong Jiang ◽

Tony W. Buchanan ◽

Zhuxi Yao ◽

Kan Zhang ◽

Jianhui Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attentional Bias ◽

Social Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

P300 Amplitude ◽

Control Group ◽

Stress Group ◽

Acute Psychological Stress ◽

The Impact

Abstract The present study investigated the effect of acute stress on attentional bias to threat using behavioral and ERP methods. Sixty-two male participants were randomly assigned to a stress condition (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control condition. To examine the impact of stress-induced cortisol on attentional bias to threat, participants in the stress group were split into Low- and High cortisol responders. All participants were then administered a modified dot probe task in which the cues were neutral and angry faces. Behavioral results showed a pattern of attentional bias toward threat in the Control group but not in the stress group. For the ERPs, the P100 peaked earlier for the angry-cued targets than the neutral-cued targets in the Control group, which suggests a rapid, adaptive response toward threat. However, this effect was not observed in the stress group, suggesting a suppressed attentional bias under stress. In addition, the stress group (including both Low and High cortisol responders) showed reduced P300 amplitude to target onset than the Control group. These results suggest that acute stress disrupts attentional bias to threat including a reduction in early bias to threat in addition to a subsequent change of attention allocation.

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Induction of acute stress through an internet-delivered Trier Social Stress Test as assessed by photoplethysmography on a smartphone

10.31234/osf.io/rjkmv ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Helen Harvie ◽

Barbie Jain ◽

Benjamin W Nelson ◽

Erik L Knight ◽

Leslie E Roos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Research Participation ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Heart Rate Reactivity ◽

Sampling Procedures

Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of administering the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) through the internet, with major implications for promoting international inclusivity in research participation through extending typical sampling procedures beyond traditional geographical boundaries. However, online TSST studies to date are limited by the lack of a control group, which may be particularly problematic for studies administered through video mediated platforms, given evidence these interactions may be inherently stressful due to a minimization of nonverbal cues and overemphasis on facial expression. Furthermore, there is a need for biological measures of stress reactivity that can be fully implemented online, as extant research has relied upon laboratory measures that must be shipped back and forth between laboratory and participant. Here, we test smartphone-based photoplethysmography as a measure of heart rate reactivity to an online variant of the TSST. Results demonstrate significant acceleration in heart rate and self-reported stress and anxiety in the TSST condition relative to a placebo version of the TSST. The placebo procedures lead to a significant increase in self-reported stress and anxiety relative to baseline levels, but this increase was smaller in magnitude than that observed in the TSST condition. These findings highlight the potential for smartphone-based photoplethysmography in internet-delivered studies of cardiac reactivity and demonstrate that it is critical to utilize random assignment to a control or stressor condition when administering acute stress online.

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Kinetics and Interrelations of the Renin Aldosterone Response to Acute Psychosocial Stress: A Neglected Stress System

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/clinem/dgz190 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 105 (3) ◽

pp. e762-e773 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Angelina Gideon ◽

Christine Sauter ◽

Judy Fieres ◽

Thilo Berger ◽

Britta Renner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Plasma Aldosterone ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Placebo Control ◽

Stress System ◽

Stress Induction ◽

Acute Psychosocial Stress

Abstract Context The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays an important role in cardiovascular homeostasis and its dysfunction relates to negative health consequences. Acute psychosocial stress seems to activate the RAAS in humans, but stress kinetics and interrelations of RAAS parameters compared with a nonstress control group remain inconclusive. Objective We systematically investigated in a randomized placebo-controlled design stress kinetics and interrelations of the reactivity of RAAS parameters measured in plasma and saliva to standardized acute psychosocial stress induction. Methods 58 healthy young men were assigned to either a stress or a placebo control group. The stress group underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), while the control group underwent the placebo TSST. We repeatedly assessed plasma renin, and plasma and salivary aldosterone before and up to 3 hours after stress/placebo. We simultaneously assessed salivary cortisol to validate successful stress induction and to test for interrelations. Results Acute psychosocial stress induced significant increases in all endocrine measures compared with placebo-stress (all P ≤ .041). Highest renin levels were observed 1 minute after stress, and highest aldosterone and cortisol levels 10 and 20 minutes after stress, with salivary aldosterone starting earlier at 1 minute after stress. Renin completed recovery at 10 minutes, cortisol at 60 minutes, salivary aldosterone at 90 minutes, and plasma aldosterone at 180 minutes after stress. Stress increase scores of all endocrine measures related to each other, as did renin and cortisol areas under the curve with respect to increase (AUCi) and salivary and plasma aldosterone AUCi (all P ≤ .047). Conclusions Our findings suggest that in humans acute psychosocial stress induces a differential and interrelated RAAS parameter activation pattern. Potential implications for stress-related cardiovascular risk remain to be elucidated.

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Sex Differences in Stress Reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test in Virtual Reality

10.21203/rs.3.rs-21036/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Qing Liu ◽

Wenjuan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Electrodermal Activity ◽

Stress Test ◽

Young Male ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Stress Group

Abstract Background: The aim of the present study is to investigate the sex differences in stress reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in a virtual reality(TSST-VR). Methods: Healthy young male (n = 30) and female (n = 30) undergraduates were randomly assigned to a psychosocial stress protocol (TSST) condition or to a non-stressful control condition (Placebo-TSST) under VR. Electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured throughout the study. The subjective scales of stress and emotion were also conducted. Results: The results showed that after VR, the stress group reported higher stress perceptions than the non-stress group. Compared with females, the males stronger EDA and higher HRV before the VR, and lower HR during VR as well as higher HRV after VR. The correlation between subjective and objective reactivity demonstrated that HRV during VR was negatively correlated to depression and negative affect. The HRV after VR was negatively correlated to the positive coping but was positively correlated to the depression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the TSST-VR could be used as an available tool for testing gender differences to social stress induction in experimental settings. Compared with females, males were more sensitive to stress.

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Rapid volumetric brain changes after acute psychosocial stress

10.1101/2021.12.01.470604 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marie Uhlig ◽

Janis Dominik Reinelt ◽

Mark Lauckner ◽

H. Lina Schaare ◽

Deniz Kumral ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Visual Stimulation ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Grey Matter Volume ◽

Significant Group ◽

Brain Changes ◽

Acute Psychosocial Stress

Rapid structural brain plasticity after acute stress has been shown in animals. It is unknown whether such stress-related brain changes also occur in humans, in which they have been found, using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), after motor learning and visual stimulation. We here investigated grey matter volume (GMV) changes after acute stress in humans and tested their relation to psychophysiological stress measures. Sixty-seven healthy men (25.8 +/- 2.7 years) completed a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) or a control version while blood, saliva, heart rate, and psychometrics were sampled. T1-weighted MP2RAGE images at 3T MRI were acquired 45 min before and 90 min after intervention onset. GMV changes were analysed using voxel-based morphometry. Associations with endocrine, autonomic, and subjective stress measures were tested with linear models. We found significant group-by-time interactions in several brain clusters including anterior/mid-cingulate cortices and bilateral insula: GMV was increased in the stress group relative to the control group, in which several clusters showed a GMV decrease. We found no significant group-by-time interaction for other MRI parameters, including cerebral blood flow, but a significant association of GMV changes with state anxiety and heart rate variability changes. In summary, we show rapid GMV changes following acute psychosocial stress in humans. The results suggest that endogenous circadian brain changes are counteracted by acute stress and generally emphasize the influence of stress on the brain.

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Personal Growth and Psychobiological Stress Responsiveness to the Trier Social Stress Test in Students

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12114497 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 4497

Author(s):

Kengo Mihara ◽

Hisayoshi Okamura ◽

Yoshihisa Shoji ◽

Kyoko Tashiro ◽

Yukie Kinoshita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Personal Growth ◽

Social Stress ◽

Parasympathetic Nervous System ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Recovery Period ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Significant Group

The current study aimed to examine the effects of personal growth (PG) on psychobiological responses at baseline and responsiveness to laboratory acute stress in students. Twenty-four healthy students were recruited as participants. Participants were screened from 203 candidates according to levels of PG using Ryff’s scale and classified into high and low PG groups. During the laboratory session, 13 high and 11 low PG participants underwent the Trier Social Stress Test. Heart rate and high-frequency (HF) heart rate variability were monitored throughout the experiment. Salivary free-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) and perceived stress were measured at baseline, immediately after tasks and after a recovery period. Baseline and recovery perceived stress (tense arousal) were significantly lower in the high PG group compared with the low PG group. Free-MHPG and HF component returned to baseline levels during recovery significantly more rapidly in the high PG group compared with the low PG group. There were no significant group differences in heart rate. The results showed that high PG students have lower noradrenaline and higher parasympathetic nervous system activity before and after acute stress. These findings suggest a protective psychobiological pathway linking PG with better psychosomatic health in students.

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Immediate effects of psychosocial stress on attention depend on subjective experience and not directly on stress-related physiological changes

10.1101/223909 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

I. Palacios-García ◽

M. Villena-Gonzalez ◽

G. Campos-Arteaga ◽

C. Artigas-Vergara ◽

K. Jaramillo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Stress Test ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Physiological Changes ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

Acute Psychosocial Stress

AbstractAcute psychosocial stress is associated with physiological, subjective and cognitive changes. In particular, attention, which is considered one of the main processes driving cognition, has been related to different stress outcomes, such as anxiety, cortisol levels and autonomic responses, individually. Nonetheless, their specific contributions to and association with attention is still not fully understood. To study this association, 42 male participants were asked to perform an attentional task just before and immediately after being exposed to either an experimental treatment designed to induce psychosocial stress using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or a matching stress-free control condition. The salivary cortisol concentration, heart rate, and self-reported anxiety were measured to assess the physiological response to stress and the subjective experience during the protocol. As expected, psychosocial stress induced increases in heart rate, salivary cortisol levels and anxiety. The behavioral analysis revealed that members of the control group performed better on the attentional task after the protocol, while members of the TSST group showed no changes. Moreover, after dividing the stress group into sub-groups of participants with high and low anxiety, we observed that participants in the high-anxiety group not only failed to perform better but also performed worse. Finally, after testing several single-level mediation models, we found that anxiety is sufficient to explain the changes in attention and that it mediates the effects between heart rate and cortisol levels on attention. Our results suggest that the immediate effects of acute psychosocial stress on attention are highly dependent on the participant’s subjective experience, which, in turn, is affected and can mediate stress-related physiological changes.

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Cue-induced cocaine craving enhances psychosocial stress and vice versa in chronic cocaine users

10.1101/2022.01.13.22268894 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Ann-Kathrin Kexel ◽

Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon ◽

Markus R. Baumgartner ◽

Etna J. E. Engeli ◽

Monika Visentini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stress Response ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Growth Models ◽

Stress Test ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Chronic Cocaine ◽

Cocaine Users

There is evidence that stress and craving contribute to the development, maintenance, and relapse in cocaine use disorder. Previous research has shown altered physiological responses to psychosocial stress as well as increased vegetative responding to substance-related cues in chronic cocaine users (CU). However, how psychosocial stress and cue-induced craving interact in relation to the physiological response of CU is largely unknown. Therefore, we investigated the interaction between acute psychosocial stress and cocaine-cue-related reactivity in 47 CU and 38 controls. Participants were randomly exposed first to a video-based cocaine-cue paradigm and second to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or vice versa in a crossed and balanced design to investigate possible mutually augmenting effects of both stressors on the physiological stress response. Plasma cortisol, ACTH, and noradrenaline as well as subjective stress and craving were assessed repeatedly over the course of the experimental procedure. Growth models and discontinuous growth models were used to estimate the responses during the cocaine-cue paradigm and TSST. Overall, both groups did not differ in their endocrinological responses to the TSST but CU displayed lower ACTH levels at baseline. The TSST did not elevate craving in CU. However, if the cocaine-cue video was shown first, CU displayed an enhanced cortisol response to the subsequent TSST. Cocaine-cues robustly evoked craving in CU but no stress response, while cue-induced craving was intensified after the TSST. Taken together, CU did not show an altered acute stress response during the TSST but stress and craving together seem to have mutually augmenting effects on their stress response.

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Evaluating the inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity in healthy young and older adults: the moderating role of music absorption

10.32920/ryerson.14654979.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Katlyn J. Peck

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Stress Response ◽

White Noise ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Self Report ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Music Listening

Chronic exposure to stress at any age is associated with a myriad of negative physiological and psychological consequences, and as such, development of effective low-cost and non-invasive stress reduction interventions are important. Music listening has been shown to promote faster physiological recovery from acute stress. However, there is a paucity of research examining the potential inoculation effect of music on stress reactivity, as well as potential modifier’s that may influence this effect such as music selection and music absorption. Hence, the current study examined the potential inoculation effect of music in response to acute stress, as measured by a comprehensive set of stress indices. It was hypothesized that listening to music prior to acute stress exposure would decrease stress reactivity compared to white noise (WN), and that self-selected music (SSM) would serve as a stronger inoculator than researcher-selected music (RSM). Finally, it was hypothesized that music absorption would moderate the inoculation effect of music, with a greater decrease in stress reactivity observed in high absorbers. Exploratory sub-groups analyses were also performed to examine any potential age differences in the aforementioned associations. Participants were randomly assigned to either RSM (n = 37), SSM (n = 38), or a WN group (n = 33) and listened to either music or white noise prior to undergoing the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Outcome indices of stress included skin conductance, heart rate, salivary cortisol and self-report affect. Mixed analyses of covariance showed that music listening did not inoculate the stress response compared with WN and SSM did not serve as a more effective inoculator than RSM. A main effect of music absorption was found, suggesting that high absorbers are more reactive than low absorbers. Although the study hypotheses were not supported, exploratory sub-group analyses in older adults suggest that music listening and absorption may modulate the stress response. This study provides new insight into the effect of music listening on stress reactivity and presents a new line of questions that require further investigation.

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