These data establish that PE is an effective cardiac stressor.
In the first set of experiments, we established that PE is an effective cardiac stressor in vitro.
Activation of a rewarding feel-better-circuitry would be most effective to counterbalance stressor-effects, not only for suppressing pain (see below) if necessary to escape a predator, but also to cope with minor daily and repetitive challenges.
POMS and STAI questionnaires showed higher feelings of depression, tension, anger, and anxiety during the stress vs. rest test sessions, (ANOVA repeated measures: AUC of POMS and STAI scores rest-stress x carbohydrate-protein, main effect of stress, p<0.02), indicating that the applied stressor was effective in inducing psychological stress, regardless of the dietary condition.
We conclude that AID is more efficient and effective at assessing multiple stressor interactions than current methods.
The stress induction was effective in that the stressor impaired mood, including augmenting feelings of tension, anger, confusion and anxiety, reduced accuracy on a cognitive task measuring attentional control and the ability to regulate emotion, and increased salivary cortisol and pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β).
In contrast, the psychological stressor was effective in producing increased autonomic arousal, as indicated by salivary cortisol, and in causing increased symptoms of anxiety, both well-documented effects of psychological stress.
Besides, effective coping with dependent stressors was found to lower stress, while ineffective coping could contribute to, or intensify subsequent stress in young adults [ 54].
This relationship is likely explicated by the fact that cognitively impaired patients are less likely to employ effective strategies to manage stressors and in turn to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety [ 18].
