Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Mar;232(3):957-73.
doi: 10.1007/s00221-013-3808-6. Epub 2014 Jan 10.

Stress and decision making: neural correlates of the interaction between stress, executive functions, and decision making under risk

Bettina Gathmann  1 , Frank P Schulte, Stefan Maderwald, Mirko Pawlikowski, Katrin Starcke, Lena C Schäfer, Tobias Schöler, Oliver T Wolf, Matthias Brand
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Stress and decision making: neural correlates of the interaction between stress, executive functions, and decision making under risk

Bettina Gathmann et al. Exp Brain Res. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Stress and additional load on the executive system, produced by a parallel working memory task, impair decision making under risk. However, the combination of stress and a parallel task seems to preserve the decision-making performance [e.g., operationalized by the Game of Dice Task (GDT)] from decreasing, probably by a switch from serial to parallel processing. The question remains how the brain manages such demanding decision-making situations. The current study used a 7-tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system in order to investigate the underlying neural correlates of the interaction between stress (induced by the Trier Social Stress Test), risky decision making (GDT), and a parallel executive task (2-back task) to get a better understanding of those behavioral findings. The results show that on a behavioral level, stressed participants did not show significant differences in task performance. Interestingly, when comparing the stress group (SG) with the control group, the SG showed a greater increase in neural activation in the anterior prefrontal cortex when performing the 2-back task simultaneously with the GDT than when performing each task alone. This brain area is associated with parallel processing. Thus, the results may suggest that in stressful dual-tasking situations, where a decision has to be made when in parallel working memory is demanded, a stronger activation of a brain area associated with parallel processing takes place. The findings are in line with the idea that stress seems to trigger a switch from serial to parallel processing in demanding dual-tasking situations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Psychiatry Res. 2012 May 15;197(1-2):112-8 - PubMed
    1. Behav Neurosci. 1999 Jun;113(3):420-30 - PubMed
    1. Behav Neurosci. 2013 Jun;127(3):369-79 - PubMed
    1. Neuroimage. 2004 Jan;21(1):450-5 - PubMed
    1. Neuropsychol Rev. 2006 Mar;16(1):17-42 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources