Introducing the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST): A quick and non-invasive approach to elicit robust autonomic and glucocorticoid stress responses

Smeets, Tom; Cornelisse, Sandra; Quaedflieg, Conny W.E.M.; Meyer, Thomas; Jelícic, Marko; Merckelbach, Harald

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.012

Cited by 286 publications

(316 citation statements)

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“…We utilized the MAST because it combines a physical stressor (i.e., a cold pressor challenge) with a social-evaluative (i.e., mental arithmetic) component, but does not require the presence of a panel. However, despite it previously (Smeets et al, 2012) been shown to yield similar subjective and cortisol stress responses to the TSST (which includes a panel), our findings suggest that it may not always be as effective as the TSST. Future research should explore further the utility of the MAST in a range of different samples and conduct additional evaluation on whether there is a need for a stronger social-evaluative component.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

“…The MAST is a recently developed stress protocol designed to be both physiologically and psychologically challenging by combining an uncontrollable physical stressor (i.e., a cold pressor challenge) with a social-evaluative (i.e., mental arithmetic) component (Smeets et al, 2012). In addition, it has been shown to yield similar subjective and cortisol stress responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), however, it does not require the presence of a panel (see Kirschbaum et al, 1993).…”

Section: Maastricht Acute Stress Test (Mast)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cortisol reactivity and suicidal behavior: Investigating the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in suicide attempters and ideators

O’Connor

Green

Ferguson

et al. 2017

Psychoneuroendocrinology

120

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t: ++44 113 3435727 2 HighlightsParticipants who had made a previous suicide attempt exhibited significantly lower cortisol response to acute stress.Participants who made an attempt within the past year exhibited a blunted cortisol response compared to participants with a more distant history of attempt.Participants who had made a suicide attempt and had a family history of suicide also exhibited a blunted cortisol response to stress.Lower levels of cortisol in response to acute stress were associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation at 1-month follow-up in the suicide attempters group 3 Abstract Every 40 seconds a person dies by suicide somewhere in the world. The causes of suicidal behavior are not fully understood. Dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, as measured by cortisol levels, is one potential risk factor. The current study aimed to investigate whether cortisol reactivity to a laboratory stress task differentiated individuals who had previously made a suicide attempt from those who had thought about suicide (suicide ideators) and control participants. One hundred and sixty participants were recruited to a previous attempt, a suicidal ideation or a control group. Participants completed background questionnaires before completing the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST). Cortisol levels were assessed throughout the stress task. Measures of suicide behavior were measured at baseline, 1 month and 6 month follow-up. Participants who had made a previous suicide attempt exhibited significantly lower aggregate cortisol levels during the MAST compared to participants in the control group; suicide ideators were intermediate to both groups. This effect, however, was driven by participants who made an attempt within the past year, and to some degree by those with a family history of attempt. Participants who had made a suicide attempt and had a family history of suicide exhibited the lowest levels of cortisol in response to stress. Finally, lower levels of cortisol in response to the MAST were associated with higher levels of suicidal ideation at 1-month follow-up in the suicide attempter group. These results are consistent with other findings indicating that blunted HPA axis activity is associated with some forms of suicidal behavior. The challenge for researchers is to elucidate the precise causal mechanisms linking stress, cortisol and suicide risk.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 81%

Section: Maastricht Acute Stress Test (Mast)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortisol reactivity and suicidal behavior: Investigating the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in suicide attempters and ideators

O’Connor

Green

Ferguson

et al. 2017

Psychoneuroendocrinology

120

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“…For example, in the socially evaluated cold pressor test (SECPT) participants are asked to perform a traditional CPT while being video-taped and watched by an experimenter 24 . Similarly, the Maastricht Acute Stress Test integrates SECPT with public speaking and mental arithmetic components of the TSST 25 . While these approaches represent a significant step forward in stress research it remains important to examine the specific, and potentially dissociable, influence of SAM and HPA activation on the neural correlates of behavior, cognition, and emotion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Alternative to the Traditional Cold Pressor Test: The Cold Pressor Arm Wrap

Porcelli

2014

JoVE

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Recently research on the relationship between stress and cognition, emotion, and behavior has greatly increased. These advances have yielded insights into important questions ranging from the nature of stress' influence on addiction 1 to the role of stress in neural changes associated with alterations in decision-making 2,3 . As topics being examined by the field evolve, however, so too must the methodologies involved. In this article a practical and effective alternative to a classic stress induction technique, the cold pressor test (CPT), is presented: the cold pressor arm wrap (CPAW). CPT typically involves immersion of a participant's dominant hand in ice-cold water for a period of time 4 . The technique is associated with robust activation of the sympatho-adrenomedullary (SAM) axis (and release of catecholamines; e.g. adrenaline and noradrenaline) and mildto-moderate activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis with associated glucocorticoid (e.g. cortisol) release. While CPT has been used in a wide range of studies, it can be impractical to apply in some research environments. For example use of water during, rather than prior to, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has the potential to damage sensitive and expensive equipment or interfere with acquisition of MRI signal. The CPAW is a practical and effective alternative to the traditional CPT. Composed of a versatile list of inexpensive and easily acquired components, CPAW makes use of MRI-safe gelpacs cooled to a temperature similar to CPT rather than actual water. Importantly CPAW is associated with levels of SAM and HPA activation comparable to CPT, and can easily be applied in a variety of research contexts. While it is important to maintain specific safety protocols when using the technique, these are easy to implement if planned for. Creation and use of the CPAW will be discussed.

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“…Interestingly, at baseline, high ruminating individuals already Overall increased levels of salivary cortisol and negative disturbances in mood after stress induction (MAST) proved its eff ectiveness in elucidating a biological and aff ective stress response, corresponding to previously reported work on the eff ects of the MAST (Smeets et al, 2012). Contrary to expectations S'/S'-allele carriers did not show a heightened cortisol stress responsiveness.…”

Section: Stress Inductionmentioning

confidence: 83%

“…This task has shown great reliability and validity in inducing both cognitive and physiological stress responses by combining elements of the classic Trier Social Stress Test and the Cold Pressor Task (Smeets et al, 2012).…”

Section: Stress Inductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Donut worry

Schepers

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Dit werk is (mede)gefinancierd door de Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO) onder de projectnaam: 'Gene by Cognition influences on emotional eating; a moderating role for ruminative thinking?' projectnummer 057-13-004. Donut worryThe role of 5-HTTLPR genotype and ruminative thinking in emotional eating behaviour. Grab your coat and grab your hat, leave your worries on the doorstep Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street Can't you hear that pitter-pat? PROEFSCHRIFTThat happy tune is your stepLife can be so sweet, on the sunny side of the street General IntroductionThe interaction between 5-HTTLPR genotype and ruminative thinking on body mass index Gene by cognition interaction on stress-induced attention bias for food: effects of 5-HTTLPR and ruminative thinkingThe effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype and cognitive rumination on long term cortisol reactivity measured in human hair.The interaction between 5-HTTLPR genotype and Ruminative Thinking on Daily Stress and Food Intakea multilevel approach Chapter 1General Introduction 10Chapter 1 The worldwide epidemic of overweight is considered one of the greatest threats to human health. In recent years, the prevalence of clinical overweight or obesity has increased to 30 percent of the population in the US (Flegal et al., 2010) and in Europe (Berghofer et al., 2008). People with obesity have an overall poorer quality of health, a higher risk of developing diabetes (Mokdad et al., 2001) and a heightened risk of developing mood disorders (Dong, et al., 2004). Multiple factors have been proposed as contributors to the increased prevalence of obesity, of which a sedentary lifestyle and easy access to energy dense foods seem to be among the important contributors (Wing et al., 2001). Although most people in the Western world have easy access to energy dense foods, many do not suff er from obesity. Therefore individual diff erences in weight gain might be related to diff erent levels of susceptibility to unhealthy eating styles. One of these well-known risky eating styles with regard to weight gain is: emotional eating, also called stress-induced eating.Stress-induced eating refers to eating in response to stress and/or negative mood to fulfi l emotional needs (to feed a feeling) rather than nutritional needs (to feed an empty stomach). This positive relationship between stress and increased food intake has been evidenced in several large populationwide association studies (Kivimaki et al, 2006; Mellbin & Vuile, 1989; Ng & Jeff rey, 2003). For instance, in their well-conducted large survey study (N=12110), Ng and Jeff ery (2003) reported a clear positive association between perceived emotional stress and total energy and fat intake. Additionally, in a longitudinal cohort study in which children were monitored for three years (between the ages of 7 and 10), disproportionate weight gain was signifi cantly associated with higher levels of psychosocial stress (Mellbin & Vuile, 1989). A more specifi c form of stress, stress at the workplace, s...

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Introducing the Maastricht Acute Stress Test (MAST): A quick and non-invasive approach to elicit robust autonomic and glucocorticoid stress responses

Cited by 286 publications

References 51 publications

Cortisol reactivity and suicidal behavior: Investigating the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in suicide attempters and ideators

Cortisol reactivity and suicidal behavior: Investigating the role of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to stress in suicide attempters and ideators

An Alternative to the Traditional Cold Pressor Test: The Cold Pressor Arm Wrap

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