Key result
Acute psychosocial stress induced by negative peer comparison significantly increased alpha power in the right precuneus (SES 0.11) and posterior cingulate cortex, indicating decreased cortical activity.
Why the study?
Studies using EEG to examine the influence of psychosocial stressors on neural activity are often troubled by confounding stressor types.
Does acute psychosocial stress alter source level EEG power and functional connectivity measures in healthy individuals?
Does acute psychosocial stress alter source level EEG power and functional connectivity measures in healthy individuals?
Acute psychosocial stress leads to decreased precuneus/PCC activity (indicated by increased alpha power) on source-level EEG, whereas sensor-level frontal power measures are not sensitive enough to detect these changes.
Hypothesis-generating for neural stress responses; larger studies needed before cardiovascular relevance.
The usage of EEG to uncover the influence of psychosocial stressors (PSSs) on neural activity has gained significant attention throughout recent years, but the results are often troubled by confounding stressor types. To investigate the effect of PSSs alone on neural activity, we employed a paradigm where participants are exposed to negative peer comparison as PSS, while other possible stressors are kept constant, and compared this with a condition where participants received neutral feedback. We analyzed commonly used sensor level EEG indices (frontal theta, alpha, and beta power) and further investigated whether source level power and functional connectivity (i.e., the temporal dependence between spatially seperated brain regions) measures, which have to our knowledge not yet been used, are more sensitive to PSSs than sensor level-derived EEG measures. Our results show that on sensor level, no significant frontal power changes are present (all p's > 0.16), indicating that sensor level frontal power measures are not sensitive enough to be affected by only PSSs. On source level, we find increased alpha power (indicative of decreased cortical activity) in the left- and right precuneus and right posterior cingulate cortex (all p's < 0.03) and increased functional connectivity between the left- and right precuneus (p < 0.001), indicating that acute, trial based PSSs lead to decreased precuneus/PCC activity, and possibly indicates a temporary disruption in the self-referential neural processes of an individual.
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Vanhollebeke et al. (2023) studied Healthy (n=73). Negative peer comparison (psychosocial stress) vs. Neutral feedback was evaluated on Relative alpha power of the right precuneus (SES 0.11, 95% CI 0.06-0.16, p=<0.001). Acute psychosocial stress induced by negative peer comparison significantly increased alpha power in the right precuneus (SES 0.11) and posterior cingulate cortex, indicating decreased cortical activity.
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