Abstract
Acute stress shifts the brain into a state that fosters rapid defense mechanisms. Stress-related neuromodulators are thought to trigger this change by altering properties of large-scale neural populations throughout the brain. We investigated this brain-state shift in humans. During exposure to a fear-related acute stressor, responsiveness and interconnectivity within a network including cortical (frontoinsular, dorsal anterior cingulate, inferotemporal, and temporoparietal) and subcortical (amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, and midbrain) regions increased as a function of stress response magnitudes. β-adrenergic receptor blockade, but not cortisol synthesis inhibition, diminished this increase. Thus, our findings reveal that noradrenergic activation during acute stress results in prolonged coupling within a distributed network that integrates information exchange between regions involved in autonomic-neuroendocrine control and vigilant attentional reorienting
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1151-1153 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Science |
Volume | 334 |
Issue number | 6059 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 25 Nov 2011 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Adrenergic Neurons
- Adrenergic beta-Antagonists
- Adult
- Affect
- Attention
- Autonomic Nervous System
- Brain
- Brain Mapping
- Female
- Functional Neuroimaging
- Heart Rate
- Humans
- Hydrocortisone
- Journal Article
- Locus Coeruleus
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Male
- Metyrapone
- Nerve Net
- Neurosecretory Systems
- Neurotransmitter Agents
- Norepinephrine
- Receptors, Adrenergic, beta
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
- Saliva
- Stress, Psychological
- Young Adult
- alpha-Amylases