title: Controllable and uncontrollable stress in humans: alterations in mood and neuroendocrine and psychophysiological function.
abstract: The authors exposed 10 healthy human volunteers to the stress of loud (100 dB) noise under controllable and uncontrollable conditions on two separate days. Subjects reported higher self-ratings of helplessness, lack of control, tension, stress, unhappiness, anxiety, and depression; had greater hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function as measured by elevations in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone; and had higher levels of sympathetic nervous system and electrodermal activity after the uncontrollable stress condition than after exposure to controllable stress. Thus, lack of control over even a mildly aversive stimulus can produce alterations in mood as well as neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system changes in healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: Section on Clinical Studies, NIMH, Bethesda, Md.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Breier
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Albus
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pickar
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Zahn
authors.forename: O M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Wolkowitz
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009622:Noise; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine