Differences in Neural Recovery From Acute Stress Between Cortisol Responders and Non-responders

Bibliographic Data

ID15530299
AuthorsAlex Dimitrov (0000-0003-0883-9081, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Annika Dimitrov, Katharina Demin (Freie Universität Berlin), Phöbe Fehlner (Central Institute of Mental Health), Hubert Walter (0000-0002-9403-6121, Freie Universität Berlin), Henrik Walter, Susanne Erk (0000-0003-0961-3543, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Ilya M Veer (0000-0002-6733-3593, Freie Universität Berlin, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume9
Pages631-631
Publication date2018-11-26
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640
PublisherFrontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00631
PMID30534092
OpenAlexW2903393450
LanguageEN
References cited23

Adaptive recovery from a stressor fosters resilience. So far, however, few studies have examined brain functional connectivity in the aftermath of stress, with inconsistent results reported. Focusing on the immediate recovery from psychosocial stress, the current study compared amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) before and immediately after psychosocial stress between cortisol responders and non-responders. Differences between groups were expected for amygdala RSFC with regions involved in down-regulation of the physiological stress response, emotion regulation, and memory consolidation. Eighty-six healthy participants (36 males/50 females) underwent a social stress paradigm inside the MRI scanner. Before and immediately after stress, resting-state (RS) fMRI scans were acquired to determine amygdala RSFC. Next, changes in connectivity from pre- to post-stress were compared between cortisol responders and non-responders. Responders demonstrated a cortisol increase, higher negative affect, and decreased heart rate variability (HRV) in response to stress compared to non-responders. A significant Sex-by-Responder-by-Time interaction was found between the bilateral amygdala and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and precuneus ( p p < 0.05, corrected). The increased coupling of the amygdala with the PCC/precuneus, a core component of the default mode network (DMN), might indicate an increased engagement of the amygdala within the DMN directly after stress in non-responders. Although this study was carried out in healthy participants, and the results likely reflect normal variations in the neural response to stress, understanding the mechanisms that underlie these variations could prove beneficial in revealing neural markers that promote resilience to stress-related disorders

Stress (linguistics · Clinical Psychology · Functional Brain Connectivity Studies · Medicine · Mental Health Research Topics · Psychology · Stress Responses and Cortisol · Internal Medicine

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