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Published on: June 14, 2019
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Acute stress impairs intentional memory suppression through aberrant prefrontal cortex activation in high trait
Jixin Long1,2,3, Lanxin Peng1,2, Qian Li1,2
1Laboratory of Cognitive Control and Brain Healthy, Department of Psychology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China.
Summary
High trait ruminators show impaired memory suppression under stress, linked to altered brain activity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex and superior temporal gyrus. This suggests potential targets for intervention in stress-related disorders.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Individual differences in psychological traits modulate stress effects on memory suppression.
- High trait ruminators (HTR) are at increased risk for stress-related disorders, but their memory suppression under acute stress is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of acute stress on intentional memory suppression in high trait ruminators (HTR) compared to low trait ruminators (LTR).
- To explore the neural correlates, including brain activation and functional connectivity, associated with memory suppression in HTR under stress.
Main Methods:
- 55 healthy college students were categorized as HTR or LTR.
- A Think/No Think task was used to assess memory suppression after stress induction.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and psychophysiological interaction analyses were employed to examine neural activity and connectivity.
Main Results:
- HTR demonstrated poorer memory suppression performance compared to LTR under stress.
- HTR exhibited aberrant activation and altered functional connectivity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) during memory suppression.
- Task-modulated functional connectivity between DLPFC and STG mediated the relationship between memory suppression performance and state rumination in HTR.
Conclusions:
- Acute stress impairs intentional memory suppression in HTR, associated with distinct neural mechanisms.
- Findings offer insights for developing preventive strategies and early interventions for stress-related disorders in individuals with high trait rumination.
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