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The effects of acute stress on core executive functions: A meta-analysis and comparison with cortisol
Open accessAbstract
Core executive functions such as working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility are integral to daily life. A growing body of research has suggested that acute stress may impair core executive functions. However, there are a number of inconsistencies in the literature, leading to uncertainty about how or even if acute stress influences core executive functions. We addressed this by conducting a meta-analysis of acute stress effects on working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility. We found that stress impaired working memory and cognitive flexibility, whereas it had nuanced effects on inhibition. Many of these effects were moderated by other variables, such as sex. In addition, we compared effects of acute stress on core executive functions to effects of cortisol administration and found some striking differences. Our findings indicate that stress works through mechanisms aside from or in addition to cortisol to produce a state characterized by more reactive processing of salient stimuli but greater control over actions. We conclude by highlighting some important future directions for stress and executive function research.
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“The duration and pattern of stress exposure dictate fundamentally divergent biological outcomes [1,2].”
From Comparative Analysis of HPA-Axis Dysregulation and Dynamic Molecular Mechanisms in Acute Versus Chronic Social Defeat Stress (2025) · cites this paper as [1]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Shields, G. S., Sazma, M. A., & Yonelinas, A. P.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Davis (US)
- Corresponding author
- Shields, Grant S.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-09
- Volume
- 68
- Pages
- 651-668
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5003767
- OpenAlex
- W2462050595
- Cited by
- 818
- References
- 89
- Citations by year
- 2026: 146 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 95 · 2023: 92 · 2022: 70 · 2021: 92 · 2020: 77 · 2019: 67 · 2018: 38 · 2017: 34 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.80
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (MH059352, EY025999)
- National Eye Institute (MH059352, EY025999)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
- Keywords
- acute stress, executive function, working memory, cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, interference control, cortisol, sex differences, stress effects on cognition
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Hydrocortisone, Inhibition, Psychological, Memory, Short-Term, Executive Function
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