Key result
High perceived stress was associated with greater activation in the parahippocampal gyrus and left precuneus compared to moderate stress during stress-induced fMRI evaluation.
Why the study?
The study aimed to identify the neural mechanisms of stress-induced and post-stress recovery states by evaluating brain activation patterns according to Perceived Stress Scale scores.
Does high perceived stress alter brain activation patterns during stress-induced and post-stress recovery states compared to moderate stress?
Observational
Does high perceived stress alter brain activation patterns during stress-induced and post-stress recovery states compared to moderate stress?
Perceived stress levels significantly influence neural activation patterns during both stress and recovery phases, highlighting the interplay between psychological states and neural mechanisms.
fMRI patterns may reflect stress severity; leaves open biomarker validation before any clinical use.
Our study aimed to identify the mechanisms of stress-induced and post-stress recovery states by evaluating voxel type and the total number of voxels activated based on Perceived Stress Scale scores. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to measure the brain activation patterns in participants grouped into moderate- and high-stress categories. The number of activation voxels in the parahippocampal gyrus of the limbic lobe was greater in the high-stress group than in the moderate-stress group. Moreover, only the high-stress group showed the characteristic activation of the left precuneus. The moderate-stress group showed a greater number of activation voxels than the high-stress group for the occipital, frontal, and limbic lobes, while the reverse was true for the parietal lobe. In the post-stress recovery phase, the left lingual, inferior frontal, and middle frontal gyri were activated, and the number of activation voxels in these areas was greater in the high-stress group than in the moderate-stress group. The characteristic activation of the declive in the left cerebellum was observed in the moderate-stress group, whereas the activation of the right cuneus was dominant in the high-stress group. Our findings suggest that perceived stress may play an important role in determining the neural mechanisms underlying stress and post-stress recovery, providing insights into the complex interplay between the psychological and neural processes occurring in response to stress.
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Choi et al. (2024) conducted an observational in Stress. High perceived stress vs. Moderate perceived stress was evaluated on Brain activation patterns (voxel type and total number of voxels activated) during stress-induced and post-stress recovery states. High perceived stress was associated with greater activation in the parahippocampal gyrus and left precuneus compared to moderate stress during stress-induced fMRI evaluation.
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