scholarly journals Acute Response of Stress System in Multiple Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmadreza Askari Ashtiani ◽  
Vahid Shaygannejad ◽  
Foad Ghobadi ◽  
Roozbeh Bathaie ◽  
Shima Shahyad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Stress System ◽  
Rate Variation ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Related Disorder

Background: It has long been suspected that exposure to stress is a major factor that can increase the risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and exacerbate it, as a stress-related disorder. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate the response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic-adrenal-medullar (SAM) system to acute social stress. Methods: A total of 46 MS patients and 23 age-sex-matched healthy controls were recruited in the study. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was used to induce acute psychosocial stress. We measured salivary cortisol (SC) to evaluate the HPA axis. In addition, electrocardiography (ECG) was recorded to evaluate the SAM system based on the linear and non-linear features of Heart Rate Variation (HRV). Then, SC and HRV were measured before and after the stress exposure. We also used the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and Emotional Visual Analog Scale (EVAS) to conduct the psychometric assessment and evaluate the perceived stress level, respectively. Results: The mean age of the MS group was 35.38 ± 15 years, with a mean disease duration of 7.4 ± 60. Besides, the HC group's mean age was 35.8 ± 9 years. There were no significant differences in demographic features and DASS scores between the two groups. In response to TSST, both MS and healthy individuals showed a significant increase in the SC levels and EVAS scores, as well as changes in the HRV indices. Notably, significant differences were also found between the two groups regarding the basic and post-stress SC levels, EVAS score, and HRV indices. Unlike the HC group, the SC level returned to its baseline after recovery in the MS group, and the sympathetic tone was more sensitive. Conclusions: Our results indicated that both MS and healthy individuals respond to acute stress regarding neuroendocrine assessment; however, patients with multiple sclerosis show some impairments in this response.

Stress system dysfunction revealed by integrating reactivity of stress pathways to psychological stress in lean and overweight/obese men

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sisitha Udara Jayasinghe ◽  
Sarah Janet Hall ◽  
Susan Jane Torres ◽  
Anne Isabella Turner
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Systolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Diastolic Blood Pressure ◽  
Psychological Stress ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Blood Pressure Response ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Stress System

While the patterns of response within the sympatho-adrenal medullary (SAM) system and hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis are interesting and important in their own accord, the overall response to acute psychological stress involves reactivity of both pathways We tested the hypothesis that consideration of the integrated response of these pathways may reveal dysregulation of the stress systems that is not evident when considering either system alone. Age matched lean and overweight/obese men were subjected to a Trier Social Stress Test and reactivity of the SAM system (salivary alpha amylase, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate) and the HPA axis (salivary cortisol) were measured. Relative reactivity of SAM system and HPA axis was calculated as the ratio between the measures from each pathway. While analysis of reactivity of individual stress pathways showed no evidence of dysfunction in overweight/obese compared with lean men, analysis of HPA/SAM reactivity revealed significantly lower cortisol over systolic blood pressure (CoSBP) and cortisol over diastolic blood pressure (CoDBP) reactivity in overweight/obese compared with lean men. Other measures of HPA/SAM reactivity and all measures of SAM/HPA reactivity were unaltered in overweight/obese compared with lean men. These findings suggest that the cortisol response per unit of blood pressure response is blunted in men with elevated adiposity. Further, these findings support a notion of a coordinated overall approach to activation of the stress pathways with the degree of activation in one pathway being related to the degree of activation of the other.

scholarly journals Life stress and cortisol reactivity: An exploratory analysis of the effects of stress exposure across life on HPA-axis functioning

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ethan S. Young ◽  
Jenalee R. Doom ◽  
Allison K. Farrell ◽  
Elizabeth A. Carlson ◽  
Michelle M. Englund ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Life Stress ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Biological Stress

Abstract Stressful experiences affect biological stress systems, such as the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Life stress can potentially alter regulation of the HPA axis and has been associated with poorer physical and mental health. Little, however, is known about the relative influence of stressors that are encountered at different developmental periods on acute stress reactions in adulthood. In this study, we explored three models of the influence of stress exposure on cortisol reactivity to a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) by leveraging 37 years of longitudinal data in a high-risk birth cohort (N = 112). The cumulative stress model suggests that accumulated stress across the lifespan leads to dysregulated reactivity, whereas the biological embedding model implicates early childhood as a critical period. The sensitization model assumes that dysregulation should only occur when stress is high in both early childhood and concurrently. All of the models predicted altered reactivity, but do not anticipate its exact form. We found support for both cumulative and biological embedding effects. However, when pitted against each other, early life stress predicted more blunted cortisol responses at age 37 over and above cumulative life stress. Additional analyses revealed that stress exposure in middle childhood also predicted more blunted cortisol reactivity.

scholarly journals The impact of chronic stress and eating types on active ghrelin levels in response to acute stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Fahrngruber ◽  
Kalina Duszka ◽  
Jürgen König
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Stress ◽  
Eating Behavior ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Stress Exposure ◽  
The Impact

AbstractChronic stress is associated with impacting eating behavior, namely food choice and energy intake, with a shift towards more palatable and energy dense foods. Additionally, eating behavior is influenced by other psychological factors like mood and emotions. The categorization of people into eating types such as restrained, emotional, and external eaters has gained attraction. Reported changes in eating behavior due to psychological stress are only occasionally accompanied by measures of physiological hunger through ghrelin. The primary objective of this study was to investigate how chronic stress and acute cortisol reactivity affect active ghrelin secretion and how these outcomes account for different eating types. 16 healthy, young males (age: 23 ± 3 years, BMI: 22.5 ± 1.3kg/m2) with low (n = 8) and average-to-high (n = 8) chronic stress level were subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and a control version on two separate days. Active ghrelin, cortisol, glucose, and heart rate were measured throughout the test. Subjects rated their hunger by means of visual analog scale and current mood was assessed with the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). In addition, participants filled out the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) to account for their subjective eating behavior. Overall ghrelin values where higher on the test day compared to the control day. Ghrelin values were also higher during the time leading up to the stress or control test (TSST) than during the conclusion of said tests. On both days, mean values for active ghrelin where higher in individuals with low chronic stress exposure compare to those with average-to-high chronic stress exposure. While values from test to control day decreased for lower stressed participants, they slightly increased for higher stressed participants. Cortisol responders displayed higher ghrelin values on test day than cortisol non-responders, but this association inverted for the control day. Results indicate that chronic stress influences acute stress response and further alters active ghrelin production, which in turn can influence eating behavior. Replication in a greater group of participants of differing weight and sex could yield a greater understanding of stress induced eating. Factors such as relaxation techniques and coping mechanisms could further improve our knowledge and evaluate treatment possibilities.

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.

scholarly journals Does Psychosocial Stress Impact Cognitive Reappraisal? Behavioral and Neural Evidence

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1803-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maheen Shermohammed ◽  
Pranjal H. Mehta ◽  
Joan Zhang ◽  
Cassandra M. Brandes ◽  
Luke J. Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Stress Group

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.

scholarly journals Working Memory Performance Under Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-139
Author(s):  
Petra Luers ◽  
Malgorzata Schloeffel ◽  
Jens C. Prüssner
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Function

Abstract. Acute stress and chronic stress change the physiology and function of the individual. As one facet, stress and its neuroendocrine correlates – with glucocorticoids in particular – modulate memory in a concerted action. With respect to working memory, impairing effects of acute stress and increased levels of glucocorticoids could be expected, but empirical evidence on moderating effects of cortisol on working memory is ambiguous in human studies. In the current study, we thus aimed to investigate cortisol stress responses and memory performance. Older men and women (32 men, 43 women, aged 61–67 years) underwent the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and performed the 2-back task before and after exposure to acute stress. In line with theoretical assumptions, we found that higher cortisol stress responses led to a decline of working memory performance in men. However, the opposite was evident for women, who appeared to benefit from higher stress responses. This effect was evident for accuracy, but not for reaction time. In conclusion, cortisol might mediate working memory alterations with stress in a sex-specific manner in older people. Possible mechanisms and causes for these sex differences put a focus on endocrine changes in the aging population that might lead to differential effects across the lifespan.

scholarly journals Dichotic listening performance and interhemispheric integration after stress exposure

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gesa Berretz ◽  
Julian Packheiser ◽  
Oliver T. Wolf ◽  
Sebastian Ocklenburg
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Dichotic Listening ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Hemispheric Asymmetries

AbstractFunctional 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.

Asymmetry of salivary cortisol and α-amylase responses to psychosocial stress in anorexia nervosa but not in bulimia nervosa

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1963-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Monteleone ◽  
P. Scognamiglio ◽  
B. Canestrelli ◽  
I. Serino ◽  
A. M. Monteleone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Bulimia Nervosa ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
First Time

BackgroundThe stress response involves the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). As a role for stress in determining of the onset and the natural course of eating disorders (EDs) has been proposed, the study of the psychobiology of the stress response in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) should be helpful in understanding the pathophysiology of these disorders. The two neurobiological components of the stress response can be easily explored in humans by the measurement of salivary cortisol and α-amylase response to a stressor. Therefore, we assessed salivary cortisol and α-amylase responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in symptomatic patients with AN and BN compared to healthy controls.MethodSeven AN women, eight BN women and eight age-matched healthy females underwent the TSST between 1530 and 1700 h. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).ResultsCompared to healthy women, AN patients showed a normal cortisol response to the TSST, although this occurred at significantly increased hormone levels, and an almost complete absence of response of α-amylase. BN women, however, exhibited enhanced pre-stress levels of salivary α-amylase but a normal response of the enzyme and cortisol to the TSST.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate, for the first time, the occurrence of an asymmetry between the HPA axis and SNS components of the stress response in the acute phase of AN but not in BN. The pathophysiological significance of this asymmetry remains to be determined.

scholarly journals Acute Psychological Stress Disrupts Attentional Bias to Threat-Related Stimuli

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
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.

Childhood Trauma and Cortisol Response to the Trier Social Stress Test in Symptomatic Patients with Eating Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S91-S91
Author(s):  
F. Marciello ◽  
V.-M. Buonomenna ◽  
V. Caivano ◽  
G. Cascino ◽  
G. D’Agostino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Childhood Maltreatment ◽  
Social Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Trier Social Stress Test ◽  
Cortisol Response ◽  
History Of Childhood ◽  
History Of

IntroductionChildhood trauma exposure is associated with the risk of eating disorders (EDs) in adulthood. The biological basis of this link may involve a persistent dysregulation of the endogenous stress response system, in particular the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as a consequence of early life maltreatment.ObjectiveAdult patients with EDs and history of childhood trauma may have a dysregulation of the HPA axis that could be different from EDs patients without childhood trauma exposure.AimsIn order to assess the effects of childhood trauma experiences on HPA-axis activity in EDs, we compared the salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) of adult patients with EDs according to their history of childhood trauma.MethodTwenty-seven EDs patients and 13 healthy women participated in the study. Salivary cortisol responses during exposure to the TSST was measured. Participants also completed the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and eating-related psychopathological rating scales.ResultsAccording to CTQ, 15 individuals with EDs reported childhood maltreatment whereas 12 EDs patients and all the healthy women did not experience childhood maltreatment. Compared with the control group, non-maltreated EDs patient group exhibited a slightly enhanced cortisol response to TSST, whereas the group of non-maltreated EDs patients showed a normal cortisol response. Moreover, EDs patients with childhood maltreatment exhibited statistically significant blunting of cortisol compared to non-maltreated ones.ConclusionsThe present findings support the evidence that, in patients with EDs, there is a dysregulation of HPA-axis activity and that childhood trauma exposure may contribute to this dysregulation.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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