The effects of stress on reward responsiveness: a systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis of the event-related potential literature

Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci. 2023 Dec 13. doi: 10.3758/s13415-023-01143-y. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTExposure to stressful events is associated with a range of negative physical and mental health outcomes, including depression. It is critical to understand the mechanisms through which stress impacts mental health to identify promising targets for prevention and intervention efforts. Low-reward responsiveness is thought to be a mechanism of effects of stress on negative health outcomes and can be reliably measured at the neurophysiological level by using event-related potentials (ERPs), such as the reward positivity (RewP) component. The goal of this systematic review and preliminary meta-analysis was to examine evidence of associations between stress and alterations in reward responsiveness measured using ERPs. Through a systematic review of the literature, 23 studies examining the effects of laboratory-induced stressors and naturalistic stressors or perceived stress on reward responsiveness met study criteria, 13 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Most studies were conducted in undergraduate and community samples, with three selected for specific conditions, and primarily in adults. The systematic review supported evidence of associations between laboratory-induced stressors and blunted reward responsiveness as measured by the RewP but there were more mixed results when considering direct associations between naturalistic stressors/perceived stress and reward-re...
Source: Cognitive, Affective and Behavioral Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Source Type: research