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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm
Published on: May 4, 2020
Cognitive Adaptation under Stress: A Case for the Mineralocorticoid Receptor
Susanne Vogel1, Guillén Fernández2, Marian Joëls3
1Department of Cognitive Psychology, Institute for Psychology, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Corticosteroid hormones, released during stressful encounters, have profound and far-reaching effects on cognition. They are often thought to accomplish these effects primarily via glucocorticoid receptors (GR), but recent findings from rodent and human studies argue for an additional, critical role of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) in cognitive changes in response to stress. We propose that the MR initiates rapid changes in the recruitment of specific neural systems, inducing a shift towards cognitively less-demanding processing and allowing a quick and adequate response to the situation. In combination with slower and longer-lasting actions mediated by GR, this shift leads to optimal coping with the ongoing stressful event.
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