scholarly journals Acute Physiological and Psychological Stress Response in Youth at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily E. Carol ◽  
Robert L. Spencer ◽  
Vijay A. Mittal
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Recovery Period ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Clinical High Risk ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Cortisol Levels

Deficits in stress-response systems are a characteristic of schizophrenia and psychosis spectrum illnesses, and recent evidence suggests that this impairment may be evident in those at clinical high-risk (CHR) for the development of a psychotic disorder. However, there is limited research specifically investigating biological and subjective stress reactivity in CHR individuals. In the present study, 38 CHR individuals and group of 38 control individuals participated in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), an experimentally induced psychosocial stressor. Changes in salivary cortisol and alpha amylase, as well as self-reported units of distress (SUDS), were evaluated. Interestingly, the TSST did not induce a change in cortisol levels in either group, though the CHR group did show higher overall cortisol levels throughout the TSST (pre-anticipation period through recovery period). However, indicative of an effective task manipulation, the TSST did illicit an increase in alpha amylase in both groups. CHR participants exhibited higher levels of subjective stress prior to the stressor compared to the control group and CHR SUDs did not significantly increase in response to the stressor. In contrast, the control group showed an increase in SUDS in response to the stressor. Notably, SUDS for the control group post task mirrored the levels CHR youth endorsed prior to the stressor. Taken together, these findings suggest that there may be a functional relationship between persistently elevated cortisol and chronic high levels of subjective distress in CHR individuals.

scholarly journals Altered relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: a preliminary report

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Davies ◽  
Elizabeth Appiah-Kusi ◽  
Robin Wilson ◽  
Grace Blest-Hopley ◽  
Matthijs G. Bossong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Clinical High Risk ◽  
Fearful Face ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractEvidence suggests that people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR) have a blunted cortisol response to stress and altered mediotemporal activation during fear processing, which may be neuroendocrine–neuronal signatures of maladaptive threat responses. However, whether these facets are associated with each other and how this relationship is affected by cannabidiol treatment is unknown. We examined the relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in healthy people and in CHR patients. In exploratory analyses, we investigated whether treatment with cannabidiol in CHR individuals could normalise any putative alterations in cortisol-mediotemporal coupling. 33 CHR patients were randomised to 600 mg cannabidiol or placebo treatment. Healthy controls (n = 19) did not receive any drug. Mediotemporal function was assessed using a fearful face-processing functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm. Serum cortisol and anxiety were measured immediately following the Trier Social Stress Test. The relationship between cortisol and mediotemporal blood-oxygen-level-dependent haemodynamic response was investigated using linear regression. In healthy controls, there was a significant negative relationship between cortisol and parahippocampal activation (p = 0.023), such that the higher the cortisol levels induced by social stress, the lower the parahippocampal activation (greater deactivation) during fear processing. This relationship differed significantly between the control and placebo groups (p = 0.033), but not between the placebo and cannabidiol groups (p = 0.67). Our preliminary findings suggest that the parahippocampal response to fear processing may be associated with the neuroendocrine (cortisol) response to experimentally induced social stress, and that this relationship may be altered in patients at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Inflexibly Focused under Stress: Acute Psychosocial Stress Increases Shielding of Action Goals at the Expense of Reduced Cognitive Flexibility with Increasing Time Lag to the Stressor

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3218-3227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Plessow ◽  
Rico Fischer ◽  
Clemens Kirschbaum ◽  
Thomas Goschke
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Amylase Activity ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Free Cortisol ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Acute Psychosocial Stress

Dynamically adjusting the right amount of goal shielding to varying situational demands is associated with the flexibility of cognitive control, typically linked with pFC functioning. Although stress hormones are found to also bind to prefrontal receptors, the link between stress and cognitive control remains elusive. Based on that, we aimed at investigating effects of acute psychosocial stress on dynamic control adjustments. Forty-eight healthy volunteers were exposed to either a well-established stress induction protocol (the Trier Social Stress Test, TSST) or a standardized control situation before a selective attention (Simon) task involving response conflicts. The individual physiological stress response was monitored by analyzing levels of free cortisol and α-amylase activity in saliva samples showing that the TSST reliably induced an increase of endogenous stress hormone levels. Acute stress did not inevitably impair cognitive functioning, however, as stressed participants showed tonically increased goal shielding (to reduce interference) at the expense of decreased cognitive flexibility. Importantly, as a novel finding in humans, stress effects on cognitive functions were not present immediately after the stress experience but developed gradually over time and, therefore, paralleled the time course of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) stress response. In addition, the total increase of individual cortisol levels reflecting HPA activity, but not the total changes in α-amylase activity associated with sympathetic activity, was reversely related to the amount of cognitive flexibility in the final block of testing. Our study provides evidence for a stress-induced time-dependent decrease of cognitive flexibility that might be related to changes in cortisol levels.

scholarly journals A Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Trial of the Effect of Bilateral Alternating Somatosensory Stimulation on Reducing Stress-Related Cortisol and Anxiety During and After the Trier Social Stress Test

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30
Author(s):  
Ernesto Cesar Pinto Leal-Junior ◽  
Heliodora Leão Casalechi ◽  
Caroline dos Santos Monteiro Machado ◽  
Amy Serin ◽  
Nathan S. Hageman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Group ◽  
Emotional Stress ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Subjective Rating ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Somatosensory Stimulation ◽  
Cortisol Levels

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.

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

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.

scholarly journals Effects of short-term cannabidiol treatment on response to social stress in subjects at clinical high risk of developing psychosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 (4) ◽  
pp. 1121-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Appiah-Kusi ◽  
N. Petros ◽  
R. Wilson ◽  
M. Colizzi ◽  
M. G. Bossong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Clinical High Risk ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Intermediate Response ◽  
Harmful Effects

Abstract Rationale Stress is a risk factor for psychosis and treatments which mitigate its harmful effects are needed. Cannabidiol (CBD) has antipsychotic and anxiolytic effects. Objectives We investigated whether CBD would normalise the neuroendocrine and anxiety responses to stress in clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR) patients. Methods Thirty-two CHR patients and 26 healthy controls (HC) took part in the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and their serum cortisol, anxiety and stress associated with public speaking were estimated. Half of the CHR participants were on 600 mg/day of CBD (CHR-CBD) and half were on placebo (CHR-P) for 1 week. Results One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant effect of group (HC, CHR-P, CHR-CBD (p = .005) on cortisol reactivity as well as a significant (p = .003) linear decrease. The change in cortisol associated with experimental stress exposure was greatest in HC controls and least in CHR-P patients, with CHR-CBD patients exhibiting an intermediate response. Planned contrasts revealed that the cortisol reactivity was significantly different in HC compared with CHR-P (p = .003), and in HC compared with CHR-CBD (p = .014), but was not different between CHR-P and CHR-CBD (p = .70). Across the participant groups (CHR-P, CHR-CBD and HC), changes in anxiety and experience of public speaking stress (all p’s < .02) were greatest in the CHR-P and least in the HC, with CHR-CBD participants demonstrating an intermediate level of change. Conclusions Our findings show that it is worthwhile to design further well powered studies which investigate whether CBD may be used to affect cortisol response in clinical high risk for psychosis patients and any effect this may have on symptoms.

An intervention study on the effectiveness of an anti-stress-app on psychophysiological acute and chronic stress (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska Lautenbach
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Subjective Perception ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Acute And Chronic Stress

BACKGROUND Dealing with stress is of central importance. Lately, smartphone applications (apps) are deployed in stress interventions as they offer maximal flexibility for users. First results of experimental studies show that anti-stress apps effect subjective perception of stress positively (Ly et al., 2014). However, current literature lacks studies on physiological stress reactions (e.g., cortisol), although they are of special interest to health issues. OBJECTIVE Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an anti-stress app in chronic and acute stress reduction on a physiological (cortisol) and psychological level (subjective perception of stress) in comparison to a face-to-face and a control group in a pre-post design, for the first time. METHODS Sixty-two participants took part in the pretesting procedure (drop-out of 53 %). Based on age, gender, physical activity and subjectively perceived acute stress due to the Trier Social Stress Test for groups (TSST-G; von Dawans et al., 2011) as well as based on subjectively chronic stress assessed during the pretest, participants were parallelized in three groups (anti-stress-app: n = 10, face-to-face: n = 11, control group: n = 9). RESULTS After six weeks of the cognitive-based resource-oriented intervention, participants were exposed to the TSST-G for post testing. Results did not show a change of cortisol secretion or cognitive appraisal of the acute stressor. Further, no changes were detected in the chronic physiological stress reaction. CONCLUSIONS Possible causes are discussed extensively. CLINICALTRIAL no

scholarly journals Influence of a Suggestive Placebo Intervention on Psychobiological Responses to Social Stress

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Zimmermann-Viehoff ◽  
Nico Steckhan ◽  
Karin Meissner ◽  
Hans-Christian Deter ◽  
Clemens Kirschbaum
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Heart Rate Variability ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Alpha Amylase ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Placebo Intervention

We tested the hypothesis that a suggestive placebo intervention can reduce the subjective and neurobiological stress response to psychosocial stress. Fifty-four healthy male subjects with elevated levels of trait anxiety were randomly assigned in a 4:4:1 fashion to receive either no treatment (n = 24), a placebo pill (n = 24), or a herbal drug (n = 6) before undergoing a stress test. We repeatedly measured psychological variables as well as salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and heart rate variability prior to and following the stress test. The stressor increased subjective stress and anxiety, salivary cortisol, and alpha-amylase, and decreased heart rate variability (all P < .001). However, no significant differences between subjects receiving placebo or no treatment were found. Subjects receiving placebo showed increased wakefulness during the stress test compared with no-treatment controls ( P < .001). Thus, the suggestive placebo intervention increased alertness, but modulated neither subjective stress and anxiety nor the physiological response to psychosocial stress.

A Virtual Reality Version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A Pilot Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Wallergård ◽  
Peter Jönsson ◽  
Gerd Johansson ◽  
Björn Karlson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Physiological Data ◽  
Virtual Humans ◽  
Arithmetic Task

One of the most common methods of inducing stress in the laboratory in order to examine the stress response in healthy and clinical populations is the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Briefly, the participant is asked to deliver a speech and to perform an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee. The committee, consisting of three trained actors, does not respond emotionally during the test, which makes the situation very stressful for the participant. One disadvantage of the TSST is that it can be difficult to hold the experimental conditions constant. In particular, it may be difficult for actors to hold their acting constant across all sessions. Furthermore, there are several practical problems and costs associated with hiring professional actors. A computerized version of the TSST using virtual humans could be a way to avoid these problems provided that it is able to induce a stress response similar to the one of the original TSST. The purpose of the present pilot study was therefore to investigate the stress response to a virtual reality (VR) version of the TSST visualized using an immersive VR system (VR-TSST). Seven healthy males with an average age of 24 years (range: 23–26 years) performed the VR-TSST. This included delivering a speech and performing an arithmetic task in front of an evaluating committee consisting of three virtual humans. The VR equipment was a CAVE equipped with stereoscopy and head tracking. ECG and respiration were recorded as well as the participant's behavior and comments. Afterward, a semi-structured interview was carried out. In general, the subjective and physiological data from the experiment indicated that the VR version of the TSST induced a stress response in the seven participants. In particular, the peak increase in heart rate was close to rates observed in studies using the traditional TSST with real actors. These results suggest that virtual humans visualized with an immersive VR system can be used to induce stress under laboratory conditions.

scholarly journals A Combination of Magnesium, B Vitamins, Green Tea and Rhodiola Attenuates the Negative Effects of Acute Psychosocial Stress on Subjective State in Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 1796-1796
Author(s):  
Louise Dye ◽  
Jac Billington ◽  
Clare Lawton ◽  
Neil Boyle
Keyword(s):  
Green Tea ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
B Vitamins ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Subjective Stress

Abstract Objectives Magnesium (Mg), and green tea and rhodiola extract supplementation have, in isolation, been shown to improve subjective stress perception and mood responses to acute stress. The combined capacity of these ingredients to confer protective effects during exposure to stress has yet to be evaluated. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of Mg (with B vitamins) + green tea + rhodiola would improve physiological and subjective responses to stress exposure in adults compared to placebo and Mg + B vitamins + green tea or rhodiola in isolation. Methods A double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, parallel group design was employed. 100 moderately stressed (DASS 13–25) adults (mean age = 25.07, SD = 0.65) received oral supplementation of either (i) Mg + B vitamins + green tea + rhodiola; (ii) Mg + B vitamins + rhodiola; (iii) Mg + B vitamins + green tea; or (iv) placebo. After supplementation participants were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test. Subjective stress (Stress and Arousal Checklist; SACL), mood (Profile of Mood States; POMS) and salivary cortisol responses were collected over 8 hours to ascertain the effects of supplementation on stress responsivity and recovery. Results Analyses demonstrated the superiority of the combined treatment vs the ingredients in isolation and placebo. The combined treatment significantly attenuated subjective stress (SACL), and tension and total mood disturbance (POMS) ratings after acute stress exposure (all P &lt; .05). Effects were found both during the peak stress response and recovery. The salivary cortisol response was unaffected by treatment. Conclusions A combination of Mg + B vitamins + green tea + rhodiola significantly alleviated subjective stress and mood responses to acute stress provocation. This preliminary evidence suggests the capacity of these ingredients in combination to confer protective effects under conditions of stress in adults. Funding Sources Sanofi Aventis.

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. e762-e773 ◽  
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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