Imaging the Effects of Psychosocial Stress on Cognitive Performance

压力和绩效评估在教育等领域是司空见惯的，但令人惊讶的是，很少有针对人类的研究调查压力对认知的影响。虽然学业上的成功通常归因于天生的能力，但个人对环境因素（如压力）的反应可能对认知表现有更大的影响。因此，研究压力如何影响支持认知表现的神经过程尤为重要。研究表明，过多的压力可能会导致注意力分散的增加，并伴随大脑认知控制网络（CCN）的参与转移到更大程度上的默认模式网络（DMN）的参与，后者引导注意力向外集中到任务上。由于认知控制通常需要保持高绩效，特别是在困难的任务中，这种转变可能导致任务绩效下降。该项目将研究压力如何影响应激激素皮质醇的水平，以及在执行需要认知控制的困难任务时，CCN和DMN的大脑活动。这项研究很重要，因为它可以确定压力可能阻止学生发挥潜力的神经机制。这些信息可能有助于有效地开发方法，以尽量减少压力对认知表现的负面影响。此外，拟议的研究将扩大代表性不足的群体在科学研究中的参与，因为罗格斯-纽瓦克大学一直被评为全国本科生人口最多样化的大学。此外，通过罗格斯-纽瓦克大学的一个既定项目，来自未被充分代表的少数群体的当地高中生将协助拟议的研究。该项目将应激激素皮质醇的生理测量与功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）相结合，以研究心理社会压力如何影响认知控制过程和任务表现。我们的目的是确定Trier社会压力测试的影响，Trier社会压力测试是一种已知的社会心理压力源，涉及社会评价威胁，可靠地提高皮质醇的释放，在Go/No-Go任务中对任务表现和大脑网络参与的影响。这项任务是理想的，因为它需要认知控制和持续的注意力，而分心会导致次优反应。该项目结合了不同层次的分析，以提供压力对认知、生理和神经的影响之间的联系。通过调查心理社会压力与DMN和ccn参与之间的关系，本研究将为智力以外的因素（如如何经历潜在的压力事件）如何驱动决定认知表现和学业成就的大脑过程提供重要见解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Stress and evaluations of performance are commonplace in domains such as education, yetsurprisingly little research in humans has investigated the effects of stress on cognition. Althoughacademic success is often attributed to innate ability, how individuals respond to situational factors, suchas stress, may have an even greater influence on cognitive performance. Thus, it is particularly importantto investigate how stress influences the neural processes supporting cognitive performance. Researchsuggests that too much stress may cause an increase in distraction and an accompanying shift away fromengagement of the brain's cognitive control network (CCN), which guides attention outwardly toward thetask, toward greater engagement of the default mode network (DMN), which guides attention inwardly. Ascognitive control is often required to maintain high performance, especially on difficult tasks, this shift mayresult in a decrease in task performance. The project will investigate how stress affects levels of the stresshormone cortisol as well as brain activity in the CCN and DMN during the performance of a difficult taskrequiring cognitive control. The research is important because it may identify neural mechanisms by whichstress may prevent students from performing to their potential. This information may aid in effectivelydeveloping approaches to minimize the negative impact of stress on cognitive performance. Additionally,the proposed research will broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in scientific research, asRutgers-Newark is consistently rated as having the most diverse undergraduate population in the nation.Furthermore, through an established program at Rutgers-Newark, local high school students fromunderrepresented minority groups will assist with the proposed research.The project combines physiological measurements of the stress hormone cortisol with functionalmagnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how psychosocial stress influences cognitive controlprocesses and task performance. We aim to determine the effects of the Trier Social Stress Test, a knownpsychosocial stressor involving social-evaluative threat that reliably elevates cortisol release, on taskperformance and brain network engagement during a Go/No-Go task. This task is ideal because it requirescognitive control and sustained attention, and distraction leads to a suboptimal response. The projectcombines levels of analysis to provide links between the cognitive, physiological, and neural effects ofstress. By investigating the relationship between psychosocial stress and the engagement of DMN andCCN, this research will provide important insights into how factors other than intelligence, such as how apotentially stressful event is experienced, drive the brain processes that determine cognitive performanceand academic achievement.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.