Exposure to acute stress enhances decision-making competence: Evidence for the role of DHEA

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY

卷:67

Article

Shields, Grant S.¹  Lam, Jovian C. W.¹  Trainor, Brian C.¹  Yonelinas, Andrew P.¹ 

[1] Univ Calif Davis, Dept Psychol, Davis, CA 95616 USA

关键词: Stress;    Decision-making competence;    DHEA;    Cortisol;    Decision-making;    Acute stress;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.psyneuen.2016.01.031

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Exposure to acute stress can impact performance on numerous cognitive abilities, but little is known about how acute stress affects real-world decision-making ability. In the present study, we induced acute stress with a standard laboratory task involving uncontrollable socio-evaluative stress and subsequently assessed decision-making ability using the Adult Decision Making Competence index. In addition, we took baseline and post-test saliva samples from participants to examine associations between decision making competence and adrenal hormones. Participants in the stress induction group showed enhanced decision-making competence, relative to controls. Further, although both cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) reactivity predicted decision-making competence when considered in isolation, DHEA was a significantly better predictor than cortisol when both hormones were considered simultaneously. Thus, our results show that exposure to acute stress can have beneficial effects on the cognitive ability underpinning real-world decision-making and that this effect relates to DHEA reactivity more than cortisol. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free