An Overview of the Effect of Stress on Working Memory

Abstract

This study seeks to explore the effect of stress on working memory (WM). Stress triggers the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, resulting in the production of glucocorticoids (GCs) that can bind to receptors in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus. A substantial amount of research demonstrates that stress affects WM performance, but the details of this relationship remain unclear due to inconsistencies in experiment results. This paper categorizes stress based on duration and intensity, and reviews a selection of representative experiments that explore the relationship between specific types of stress and WM performance. The role that sex plays in this relationship is also explored through discussion of two different studies. Many of the experiments yield different with some showing that stress improved WM and others suggesting the opposite. These inconsistencies reflect how there is a need for more research to look into a potential inverted-U shaped relationship between stress and WM, and how existing methods and instruments can be improved.