The following is a summary of the “Time-dependent effects of acute stress on working memory performance: A systematic review and hypothesis,” published in the February 2023 issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology by Geißler, et al.
The effects of stress on working memory have been studied using a variety of laboratory procedures, including the Trier Social Stress Test and the (Socially Evaluated) Cold Pressor Test. To date, studies on the effects of stress (or lack thereof) on working memory tasks have reported a wide range of results.
They analyzed the literature on the effects of short-term stress on working memory under controlled laboratory conditions. From a literature review, acute stress’s effects on working memory vary with time, likely because the main stress-reactive hormones involved have different time scales.
They hypothesize that working memory performance drops within the first 10 minutes post-stress due to the immediate stress-induced release of noradrenaline. And, beginning around 25 minutes after stress, working memory is impaired due to the rapid effects of cortisol. They outline potential future research avenues that could further investigate the implications of our findings, such as pharmacological and naturalistic stressor interventions being used together.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306453022003390