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Stress triggers a coordinated physiological response involving the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This dual activation ensures that the body is prepared for both immediate and prolonged stress management. The process begins with the perception of a stressor. This initial phase activates the SNS, leading to the rapid release of adrenaline (epinephrine) from the adrenal glands.
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Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...
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Stress is a multifaceted response to events perceived as challenging or threatening, highlighting physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Physically, stress can lead to fatigue, sleep disruptions, and various health issues such as frequent colds, chest pains, and nausea. Emotionally, it can manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, and anger triggered by both minor and major life events. Cognitively, it may result in difficulty in concentration, memory, and...
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The stress response system, also known as the fight-or-flight response, is the body's automatic physiological reaction to perceived threats. Hans Selye introduced the concept of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) to describe the predictable pattern of changes that occur in response to stress. GAS consists of three sequential stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. This model helps explain how chronic stress can contribute to health problems.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
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Stress, the cortisol awakening response and cognitive function.

Robin Law1, Angela Clow1

  • 1Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster, London, England.

International Review of Neurobiology
|March 25, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Stress can disrupt the cortisol awakening response (CAR), impacting brain health. This review explores how an attenuated CAR links to reduced memory and executive functions, suggesting its role as a key neuroendocrine signal.

Keywords:
Circadian rhythmCognitionCortisolCortisol awakening responseExecutive functionHippocampusHumanMemoryPre-frontal cortexStress

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Chronobiology

Background:

  • Stress negatively impacts brain health, often via disruption of the cortisol circadian rhythm.
  • The cortisol awakening response (CAR) is a key, dynamic feature of this rhythm, frequently used as a biomarker for stress.
  • The precise function of the CAR in healthy cortisol rhythms and its link to cognition remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence linking stress, CAR, and cognitive function.
  • To contextualize findings based on study populations, cognitive measures, and CAR methodologies.
  • To explore the CAR's role as a neuroendocrine time-of-day signal.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature review of studies on stress, CAR, and cognitive function.
  • Analysis of methodological variations in CAR assessment and cognitive testing.
  • Synthesis of evidence associating CAR changes with specific cognitive domains.

Main Results:

  • Accumulating evidence suggests stress-induced attenuation of the CAR is associated with reduced cognitive function.
  • Varied findings across studies are linked to differences in populations, cognitive tasks, and CAR measurement techniques.
  • The CAR may function as a critical signal synchronizing brain clocks for optimal cognitive performance.

Conclusions:

  • An attenuated CAR, often resulting from stress, is linked to impairments in memory and executive functions.
  • Understanding the CAR's role is crucial for elucidating stress's impact on brain health.
  • Future research should standardize CAR methodologies to clarify its neuroendocrine signaling function.