Stress-induced impairment of spatial navigation in females

Earlier work predicted that the physiological effects of an acute stressor disrupt a neurological system underlying cognitive-map (CM) guided navigation, but leave intact systems underlying landmark (LM) guided navigation. This prediction has been only partially confirmed. Furthermore, no-one has in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:South African journal of psychology 2010-03, Vol.40 (1), p.44-53
Main Authors: Jacobs, W. Jake, Nadel, Lynn, Laurance, Holly E., Thomas, Kevin G.F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognitive mapping
Sex differences
Spatial navigation
Stress
Virtual environment
Wayfinding
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Earlier work predicted that the physiological effects of an acute stressor disrupt a neurological system underlying cognitive-map (CM) guided navigation, but leave intact systems underlying landmark (LM) guided navigation. This prediction has been only partially confirmed. Furthermore, no-one has investigated sex differences in the relations between acute stress and spatial navigation, even though stress affects verbal memory and decision-making performance of males and females differently. We administered the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a standardized laboratory procedure designed to induce mild psychosocial stress, to 15 healthy undergraduates to examine the effects of acute stress on CM- and LM-guided navigation in men and women. They, and a demographically matched control group of 14 undergraduates, completed a virtual environment navigation task. Exposure to the TSST disrupted CM-guided (but not LM-guided) navigation in women, but affected neither in men. The data partially support the previous work, and offer novel findings regarding the relative vulnerability to acute psychosocial stress of CM-based navigation in females.
ISSN:0081-2463
2078-8208