Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A pilot study.

Jönsson, Peter LU ; Wallergård, Mattias ; Österberg, Kai LU ; Hansen, Ase Marie ; Johansson, Gerd and Karlson, Björn LU (2010) In Psychoneuroendocrinology 35. p.1397-1403
Abstract
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE system with three rear projected walls (4mx3m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during... (More)
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE system with three rear projected walls (4mx3m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Psychoneuroendocrinology
volume
35
pages
1397 - 1403
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000283019200014
  • pmid:20451329
  • scopus:77956618793
ISSN
1873-3360
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.003
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
3fd9890a-479f-4119-8b43-12df8c619a9f (old id 1610498)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20451329?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 07:56:45
date last changed
2022-04-23 08:55:56
@article{3fd9890a-479f-4119-8b43-12df8c619a9f,
  abstract     = {{The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE system with three rear projected walls (4mx3m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings.}},
  author       = {{Jönsson, Peter and Wallergård, Mattias and Österberg, Kai and Hansen, Ase Marie and Johansson, Gerd and Karlson, Björn}},
  issn         = {{1873-3360}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1397--1403}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Psychoneuroendocrinology}},
  title        = {{Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A pilot study.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.003}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.003}},
  volume       = {{35}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}