title: The effects of acute stress on human prefrontal working memory systems.
abstract: We examined the relationship between acute stress and prefrontal-cortex (PFC) based working memory (WM) systems using behavioral (Experiment 1) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Experiment 2) paradigms. Subjects performed a delayed-response item-recognition task, with alternating blocks of high and low WM demand trials. During scanning, participants performed this task under three stress conditions: cold stress (induced by cold-water hand-immersion), a room temperature water control (induced by tepid-water hand-immersion), and no-water control (no hand-immersion). Performance was affected by WM demand, but not stress. Cold stress elicited greater salivary cortisol readings in behavioral subjects, and greater PFC signal change in fMRI subjects, than control conditions. These results suggest that, under stress, increases in PFC activity may be necessary to mediate cognitive processes that maintain behavioral organization.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, United States.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Porcelli
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wenberg
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Bharat B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Biswal
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rypma
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000679:Amygdala / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001245:Association Learning / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen; D006854:Hydrocortisone