title: The imaging Maastricht Acute Stress Test (iMAST): a neuroimaging compatible psychophysiological stressor.
abstract: Several protocols have been developed for inducing acute stress in laboratory settings. Still, effectively eliciting stress in a neuroimaging environment remains challenging. Here, we describe the evaluation of a combined physical and psychosocial stress protocol (n = 42). The imaging Maastricht Acute Stress Test (iMAST) consists of a 5-min preparation phase and a 10-min acute stress phase, with alternating trials of cold pressor stress generated through an advanced thermal stimulator and mental arithmetic challenges along with social-evaluative pressure (i.e., negative feedback). Results demonstrate that participants displayed meaningful subjective stress responses, as well as significant increases in salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol levels. Our data show that the iMAST may prove to be a potent alternative to existing imaging stress paradigms to explore poststress neuronal changes and brain determinants of resilience.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. conny.quaedflieg@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Conny W E M
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Quaedflieg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Smeets
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000681:Amylases / Q000378:metabolism; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011312:Pressure; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012931:Social Environment; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000681:Amylases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST); Stress reactivity; Stress tasks