Individual differences in cortisol levels and performance on a test of executive function in men and women
Abstract
Despite evidence for a high concentration of corticosteroid receptors in prefrontal cortex, little research has examined the relationship between cortisol and prefrontal cortical function other than working memory. We investigated the association between salivary cortisol levels and performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) of executive function and on a test of mental rotation (to test specificity of the relationship between cortisol and cognitive performance) in men and women (n=116, ages 17-22). Higher cortisol levels at the beginning of the test session were associated with more errors in women on the WCST and fewer errors in men. However, men's cortisol levels were lower than women's at this point in time. Cortisol levels were not associated with mental rotation scores. Our results suggest that individual differences in cortisol levels among participants upon arrival to a test situation influence performance on a task involving the prefrontal cortex.
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Elevated stress-related hormones (cortisol) have been linked to poor cognitive flexibility performance in typically developing adults.
“Elevations in stress related hormones (i.e. cortisol) have been associated with poor performance on measures of cognitive flexibility in typically developing adults [54].”
From The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism (2009) · cites this paper as [54]
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- Authors
- McCormick, C. M., Lewis, E., Somley, B., & Kahan, T. A.
- Affiliations
- Brock University (CA)
- Bates College (US)
- Corresponding author
- McCormick, C.M.
- Venue
- Physiology & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-05
- Volume
- 91
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 87-94
- ISSN
- 0031-9384 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2018816373
- Cited by
- 60
- References
- 60
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 1.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Physiology & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- 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
- salivary cortisol, executive function, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, mental rotation, prefrontal cortex, sex differences, individual differences, cognitive performance, corticosteroid receptors, adolescents and young adults
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Imagination, Individuality, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Psychomotor Performance, Saliva, Sex Characteristics, Space Perception, Prefrontal Cortex
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