Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months
Abstract The importance of amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for the integration of neural, endocrine, and affective stress processing was shown in healthy participants and patients with stress-related disorders. The present manuscript which reports on one study-arm of the L...
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Nature Portfolio
2023-11-01
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Series: | Scientific Reports |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46631-w |
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author | Marina Giglberger Hannah L. Peter Gina-Isabelle Henze Elisabeth Kraus Christoph Bärtl Julian Konzok Ludwig Kreuzpointner Peter Kirsch Brigitte M. Kudielka Stefan Wüst |
author_facet | Marina Giglberger Hannah L. Peter Gina-Isabelle Henze Elisabeth Kraus Christoph Bärtl Julian Konzok Ludwig Kreuzpointner Peter Kirsch Brigitte M. Kudielka Stefan Wüst |
author_sort | Marina Giglberger |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Abstract The importance of amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for the integration of neural, endocrine, and affective stress processing was shown in healthy participants and patients with stress-related disorders. The present manuscript which reports on one study-arm of the LawSTRESS project, aimed at investigating the predictive value of acute stress responses in these regions for biopsychological consequences of chronic stress in daily life. The LawSTRESS project examined law students either in preparation for their first state examination (stress group [SG]) or in the mid-phase of their study program (control group [CG]) over 13 months. Ambulatory assessments comprising perceived stress measurements and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) were administered on six sampling points (t1 = − 1 year, t2 = − 3 months, t3 = − 1 week, t4 = exam, t5 = + 1 week, t6 = + 1 month). In a subsample of 124 participants (SG: 61; CG: 63), ScanSTRESS was applied at baseline. In the SG but not in the CG, amygdala, hippocampus, and (post-hoc analyzed) right mPFC activation changes during ScanSTRESS were significantly associated with the trajectory of perceived stress but not with the CAR. Consistent with our finding in the total LawSTRESS sample, a significant increase in perceived stress and a blunted CAR over time could be detected in the SG only. Our findings suggest that more pronounced activation decreases of amygdala, hippocampus, and mPFC in response to acute psychosocial stress at baseline were related to a more pronounced increase of stress in daily life over the following year. |
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format | Article |
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issn | 2045-2322 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:48:00Z |
publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
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spelling | doaj.art-88637bcc85494c9685d80ef06550afa82023-11-20T09:27:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-11-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-46631-wNeural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 monthsMarina Giglberger0Hannah L. Peter1Gina-Isabelle Henze2Elisabeth Kraus3Christoph Bärtl4Julian Konzok5Ludwig Kreuzpointner6Peter Kirsch7Brigitte M. Kudielka8Stefan Wüst9Department of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, Computational Modeling in Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Clinical Psychology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of HeidelbergDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgDepartment of Psychology, University of RegensburgAbstract The importance of amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) for the integration of neural, endocrine, and affective stress processing was shown in healthy participants and patients with stress-related disorders. The present manuscript which reports on one study-arm of the LawSTRESS project, aimed at investigating the predictive value of acute stress responses in these regions for biopsychological consequences of chronic stress in daily life. The LawSTRESS project examined law students either in preparation for their first state examination (stress group [SG]) or in the mid-phase of their study program (control group [CG]) over 13 months. Ambulatory assessments comprising perceived stress measurements and the cortisol awakening response (CAR) were administered on six sampling points (t1 = − 1 year, t2 = − 3 months, t3 = − 1 week, t4 = exam, t5 = + 1 week, t6 = + 1 month). In a subsample of 124 participants (SG: 61; CG: 63), ScanSTRESS was applied at baseline. In the SG but not in the CG, amygdala, hippocampus, and (post-hoc analyzed) right mPFC activation changes during ScanSTRESS were significantly associated with the trajectory of perceived stress but not with the CAR. Consistent with our finding in the total LawSTRESS sample, a significant increase in perceived stress and a blunted CAR over time could be detected in the SG only. Our findings suggest that more pronounced activation decreases of amygdala, hippocampus, and mPFC in response to acute psychosocial stress at baseline were related to a more pronounced increase of stress in daily life over the following year.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46631-w |
spellingShingle | Marina Giglberger Hannah L. Peter Gina-Isabelle Henze Elisabeth Kraus Christoph Bärtl Julian Konzok Ludwig Kreuzpointner Peter Kirsch Brigitte M. Kudielka Stefan Wüst Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months Scientific Reports |
title | Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
title_full | Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
title_fullStr | Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
title_full_unstemmed | Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
title_short | Neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
title_sort | neural responses to acute stress predict chronic stress perception in daily life over 13 months |
url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-46631-w |
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