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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
07:26

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

Acute stress impairs set-shifting but not reversal learning.

K A Butts1, S B Floresco, A G Phillips

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Behavioural Brain Research
|June 15, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Acute stress selectively impairs cognitive flexibility, specifically set-shifting tasks mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This stress response disrupts the ability to adapt strategies, impacting behavioral flexibility.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Cognitive flexibility, including set-shifting and reversal learning, is crucial for adapting behavior to environmental changes.
  • Acute stress is known to impair higher-order cognitive control tasks mediated by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the selective impact of acute stress on set-shifting versus reversal learning tasks.
  • To determine if acute stress impairs medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-dependent cognition.

Main Methods:

  • Rats were exposed to acute stress (15 min mild tail-pinch) immediately before cognitive testing.
  • Performance was assessed using an automated operant chamber-based set-shifting and reversal learning task.
Keywords:
Acute stressCognitive flexibilityPrefrontal cortexReversal learningSet-shifting

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
07:26

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice
08:35

An Operant Intra-/Extra-dimensional Set-shift Task for Mice

Published on: January 22, 2016

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

Main Results:

  • Acute stress significantly disrupted performance on the set-shifting task.
  • Rats exposed to stress required more trials and made more perseverative errors in set-shifting.
  • No significant effect of acute stress was observed on reversal learning.

Conclusions:

  • Acute stress selectively impairs cognitive flexibility, specifically the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)-dependent set-shifting ability.
  • Stress disrupts the inhibition of previously relevant cognitive strategies, highlighting a specific mechanism of cognitive impairment.