title: The interaction of acute and chronic stress impairs model-based behavioral control.
abstract: It is suggested that acute stress shifts behavioral control from goal-directed, model-based toward habitual, model-free strategies. Recent findings indicate that interindividual differences in the cortisol stress response influence model-based decision-making. Although not yet investigated in humans, animal studies show that chronic stress also shifts decision-making toward more habitual behavior. Here, we ask whether acute stress and individual vulnerability factors, such as stress reactivity and previous exposure to stressful life events, impact the balance between model-free and model-based control systems. To test this, 39 male participants (21-30 years old) were exposed to a potent psychosocial stressor (Trier Social Stress Test) and a control condition in a within-subjects design before they performed a sequential decision-making task which evaluates the balance between the two systems. Physiological and subjective stress reactivity was assessed before, during, and after acute stress exposure. By means of computational modeling, we demonstrate that interindividual variability in stress reactivity predicts impairments in model-based decision-making. Whereas acute psychosocial stress did not alter model-based behavioral control, we found chronic and acute stress to interact in their detrimental effect on decision-making: subjects with high but not low chronic stress levels as indicated by stressful life events exhibited reduced model-based control in response to acute psychosocial stress. These findings emphasize that stress reactivity and chronic stress play an important role in mediating the relationship between stress and decision-making. Our results might stimulate new insights into the interplay between chronic and acute stress, attenuated model-based control, and the pathogenesis of various psychiatric diseases.
authors: Max Planck Fellow Group 'Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation', Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: radenbach@cbs.mpg.de.
authors: Christoph
authors: C
authors: Radenbach
authors: Max Planck Fellow Group 'Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation', Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; International Max Planck Research School on Neuroscience of Communication (IMPRS NeuroCom), 04103 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: reiter@cbs.mpg.de.
authors: Andrea M F
authors: AM
authors: Reiter
authors: Department of Social Neuroscience, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Veronika
authors: V
authors: Engert
authors: Max Planck Fellow Group 'Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation', Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Zsuzsika
authors: Z
authors: Sjoerds
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Day Clinic of Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; IFB Adiposity Diseases, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind & Brain Institute, Humboldt-University, 10099 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Arno
authors: A
authors: Villringer
authors: Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors: Hans-Jochen
authors: HJ
authors: Heinze
authors: Max Planck Fellow Group 'Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation', Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Lorenz
authors: L
authors: Deserno
authors: Max Planck Fellow Group 'Cognitive and Affective Control of Behavioral Adaptation', Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Schlagenhauf
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003657:Decision Making; D006184:Habits; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Acute/chronic stress; Behavioral control; Computational modeling; Cortisol; Model-based/model-free decision-making; Reinforcement learning