Acute stress and human spatial working memory strategy use

Acute stress can impair human working memory. Little is known, however, about the effects of acute stress on working memory strategies. The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of acute stress on use of a systematic spatial working memory search strategy. Participants (28 females and 20 males per group) completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or control tasks. Use of a systematic spatial working memory search strategy was measured through performance on the spatial working memory subtest of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The TSST was effective at producing subjective and cortisol stress responses, but there was no significant stress effect on use of a systematic search strategy or working memory search errors. There were also no significant relationships between subjective and cortisol stress responses and use of a systematic search strategy or working memory search errors within the stress group. These results suggest that acute stress does not impair the self-generation or execution of a systematic spatial working memory search strategy.急性应激可损害人类工作记忆。然而，目前关于急性应激对工作记忆策略的影响尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨急性应激对系统性空间工作记忆搜索策略使用情况的影响。每组包含28名女性与20名男性，受试者分别完成特里尔社会应激测试（Trier Social Stress Test, TSST）或对照任务。系统性空间工作记忆搜索策略的使用情况，通过剑桥神经心理测试自动化电池（Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, CANTAB）的空间工作记忆子测试表现进行评估。TSST可有效诱发主观应激反应与皮质醇应激反应，但未观察到应激对系统性搜索策略的使用或工作记忆搜索错误存在显著影响。在应激组中，主观应激反应、皮质醇应激反应与系统性搜索策略使用或工作记忆搜索错误之间也未存在显著关联。上述结果表明，急性应激不会损害系统性空间工作记忆搜索策略的自主生成与执行。