Acute Stress for Memory Integration
What You Need to Know Before You Apply
What is the purpose of this trial?
This trial explores how stress affects memory and learning. Researchers aim to determine if stress impairs the ability to connect and remember information. Participants will encounter either a stressful situation (Acute Stress) or a calm one (Non-Stress Control Task), and their performance on memory tasks will be compared. Healthy adults who speak English and have normal vision are well-suited for this trial. As an unphased study, this trial provides a unique opportunity to contribute to understanding the impact of stress on cognitive functions.
Do I have to stop taking my current medications for the trial?
The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It's best to check with the study organizers for more details.
Is there any evidence suggesting that this trial's treatments are likely to be safe?
Research has shown that the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) reliably and safely induces stress in people. Studies have found that it effectively raises cortisol levels, the main stress hormone, to simulate real-life stress. Most participants handle this stress test well, and past studies have reported no serious side effects. Researchers often use the TSST to study how stress affects memory and learning. Overall, evidence suggests that the test is safe for participants.12345
Why are researchers excited about this trial?
Researchers are excited about the Acute Stress for Memory Integration trial because it explores how a specific kind of stress might actually help with memory integration, which is a novel approach. Unlike traditional methods that might focus on medication or cognitive training to improve memory, this trial uses the Trier Social Stress Test to induce a controlled, acute stress response. This unique approach aims to understand whether brief stress exposure can enhance memory processing, offering a potential new strategy that differs from conventional treatments. If successful, this method could pave the way for innovative therapies that leverage controlled stress as a tool for cognitive enhancement.
What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective for memory integration?
This trial will compare the effects of acute stress with a non-stress control task on memory integration. Participants in the acute stress condition will undergo the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a validated method for inducing acute psychosocial stress. Research has shown that stress can affect memory retention. Specifically, the TSST interferes with memory, particularly the ability to link related memories, which is crucial for learning. Studies have found that higher cortisol levels, a hormone released during stress, correlate with increased memory problems. A review of several studies also found that experiencing stress immediately before attempting to recall information significantly impairs memory retrieval. These findings suggest that stress, particularly sudden stress, can hinder learning and memory.16789
Who Is on the Research Team?
Corey A Fernandez, PhD, Neuroscience
Principal Investigator
Nevada State University
Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?
This trial is for individuals who can participate in a study to understand how stress affects memory. Participants will be subjected to an acute stress task or a non-stress control task and must be willing to have their cortisol levels measured.Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
Timeline for a Trial Participant
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
Acute Stress Induction
Participants undergo the Trier Social Stress Test to induce acute psychosocial stress
Non-Stress Control
Participants complete a non-stressful task designed to parallel the Trier Social Stress Test
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for memory performance and stress levels
What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?
Interventions
- Acute Stress
- Non-Stress Control Task
Trial Overview
The study tests the impact of acute stress on memory integration by comparing performance on a memory task between stressed and non-stressed groups. Cortisol levels are monitored as an indicator of stress response.
How Is the Trial Designed?
Participants randomized to the acute stress condition will complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a validated experimental method for inducing acute psychosocial stress. This condition will allow for us to evaluate our primary hypothesis.
Participants randomized to the non-stress control condition will complete a non-stressful task designed to parallel the structure of the Trier Social Stress Test without eliciting acute stress.
Find a Clinic Near You
Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Nevada State University
Lead Sponsor
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Collaborator
University of Nevada, Reno
Collaborator
Citations
The Trier Social Stress Test: Principles and practice - PMC
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) provides such a testing platform. It induces stress by requiring participants to make an interview-style presentation.
Disrupted Connections: The Impact of Acute Stress on ...
Stress will disrupt performance on the memory task by interfering with memory processes that enable linking of related memories. Higher cortisol levels, which ...
Stress and long-term memory retrieval: a systematic review
In fact, a recent meta-analysis has concluded that acute stress shortly prior to retrieval can significantly impair memory retrieval. Because stressful events ...
A systematic review of the Trier Social Stress Test ...
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) has been used widely as a psychosocial stress paradigm to activate the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic- ...
The Effect of Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) on Item and ...
This study aimed at exploring the effect of TSST on item versus associative memory for neutral, verbal, and pictorial stimuli.
The Trier Social Stress Test and the ...
Preliminary results showed as expected that the TSST and the TSST-G effectively induced psychosocial stress, with cortisol levels, cognitive ...
Memories of and influenced by the Trier Social Stress Test
Psychosocial stress influences cognition, affect and behavior. This current review summarizes the impact of acute stress on human long-term memory taking a ...
Inducing and Recording Acute Stress Responses on a ...
We present evidence that a digital stress paradigm administered by smartphone can be used for standardized stress induction and multimodal data collection on a ...
Acute stress promotes effort mobilization for safety-related ...
These results suggest that activation of the acute stress response can selectively alter the willingness to exert effort for safety-related goals.
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