Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis in response to a verbal fluency task and associations with task performance.

ABSTRACT: Speech fluency can be impaired in stressful situations. In this study, it was investigated whether a verbal fluency task by itself, i.e. without the presence of any further stressors, induces responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The sample consisted of n = 85 participants (68.2% female; 33.3 ± 15.2 years) who performed two consecutive verbal fluency tasks for two minutes each. The categories were either 'stress' or 'disease' and 'animals' or 'foods' which were presented in a randomized order. Three saliva samples were collected, prior to the task (t0), immediately after (t1), and ten minutes after it (t2). Salivary α-amylase and cortisol were assessed. Furthermore, blood pressure, heart rate, and ratings of actual stress pe

SUBMITTER: Becker L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7161971 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature