Neurophysiological and Autonomic Responses to Acute Physical and Emotional Stress: An EEG Study

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Cold Pressor Test: Participants will immerse one hand in an ice-water bath and will be instructed to maintain the immersion for as long as tolerable, up to a maximum of three minutes. Participants may withdraw their hand at any time if the stimulation becomes intolerable. The actual duration of hand immersion will be recorded as an index of pain tolerance. EEG and autonomic activity will be continuously recorded during the task.

Negative Autobiographical Memory Recall: Participants will be instructed to select a personally painful or distressing autobiographical memory and focus on its emotional and experiential aspects for three minutes while seated with their eyes closed. No specific autobiographical event will be suggested by the researcher. EEG and autonomic activity will be continuously recorded during the task.

Affective Picture-Viewing Task: Participants will view negative and neutral images selected from the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS). Each trial will consist of a 10-second fixation period followed by a 30-second image presentation. Images will be presented in randomized order while EEG and autonomic activity are continuously recorded.

Study summary

This study aims to investigate neurophysiological, autonomic, and subjective responses to different acute physical and emotional stress-inducing conditions using a within-subject repeated-measures design.

Participants will complete four experimental conditions: a resting-state baseline, a Cold Pressor Test, a negative autobiographical memory recall task, and an affective picture-viewing task using stimuli selected from the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS). The order of the experimental stress conditions will be randomized or counterbalanced to minimize potential order and carry-over effects.

Electroencephalographic (EEG) and autonomic activity will be recorded throughout the experimental session. Autonomic measures will include heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), electrodermal activity (EDA), and skin conductance responses (SCR). Subjective levels of stress, anxiety, and pain will be assessed using visual analogue scales (VAS).

Participants will also complete validated psychological measures assessing resilience, perceived stress, and state and trait anxiety, together with the Tower of London task as a behavioral measure of executive planning.

The primary objective is to characterize the modulation of EEG alpha-band activity during acute physical stress, with the main comparison focusing on the Cold Pressor Test relative to resting-state baseline. Secondary and exploratory objectives include comparing cortical, autonomic, and subjective responses across experimental conditions and investigating whether individual psychological characteristics and executive functioning are associated with differences in psychophysiological stress responses.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Change in EEG alpha-band activity during the Cold Pressor Test compared with resting-state baseline — Day 1. During the single experimental session: resting-state baseline (4 minutes) and Cold Pressor Test (up to 3 minutes).
  EEG alpha-band activity will be quantified from predefined scalp regions, with particular attention to frontal, parietal, and frontoparietal regions. The primary outcome will be the within-participant change in alpha-band EEG activity during the Cold Pressor Test relative to the resting-state baseline.

Trial sites (1)

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