Optimal timing of oral metyrapone intake for the suppression of cold-pressor stress-induced cortisol release.

Background: Pharmacological manipulation of cortisol levels is instrumental in elucidating mechanisms underlying acute stress effects and for distinguishing the physiological and behavioral effects of cortisol from those of the adrenergic system. Administration (oral or IV) of hydrocortisone is a direct and efficient method to elevate cortisol, and thus, frequently used in psychobiological stress research. However, lowering of cortisol (i.

Stressed in afterthought: Neuroendocrine effects of social self-threat during physical effort are counteracted by performance feedback after stress exposure.

Social self-threat during physical stress, such as exposure to the cold pressor test and isometric handgrip test, has been shown to induce activation of the HPA axis, in addition to autonomic responses. However, previous research has suggested that dysfunctional post-event processing may play a major role in neuroendocrine reactivity at initial as well as subsequent social stress exposure. In the present study, we investigated how the interplay of context (i.

Acute stress enhances pupillary responses to erotic nudes: Evidence for differential effects of sympathetic activation and cortisol.

Chronic stress attenuates reproductive behavior in many species, but evidence regarding the impact of acute stress on human sexual arousability is insufficient. Stressor-specific effects might result from divergent roles of both stress response systems. Social self-threat, linked to affiliation-oriented coping, might also influence sexual responsivity.

Filling the gap: Evidence for a spatial differentiation in trace eyeblink conditioning.

Trace eyeblink conditioning is used as a translational model of declarative memory but restricted to the temporal domain. Potential spatial aspects have never been experimentally addressed. We employed a spatiotemporal trace eyeblink conditioning paradigm in which a spatial dimension (application side of the unconditioned stimulus) was differentially coded by tone frequency of the conditioned stimulus and recorded conditioned reactions from both eyes.