You have full access to this open access article. The Trier social stress test TSST is one of the most reliable and widely used laboratory tests for evaluating the physiological stress response. The participants comprised 60 patients with psychosis and 66 HCs.
The VR-TSST consisted of three scenarios: a resting phase baseline; 2 min , a job interview 5 min , and a mental arithmetic task 5 min. Blood cortisol levels were measured at baseline, during the test, and at 5β10 min and 30 min after the test. The skin conductance level, heart rate, and RR intervals were measured at baseline, during the job interview, and during the arithmetic task. However, a higher skin conductance level and heart rate and shorter RR intervals were found in the patients than in the HCs at baseline, during the job interview, and during the arithmetic task.
These findings suggest that the current version of the VR-TSST induces stronger autonomic and cardiovascular, but not endocrine, responses in patients with psychosis than in HCs. Stress plays an important role in the onset and course of psychosis Norman and Malla Stress factors, such as cumulative life events Nuechterlein et al. Accumulating evidence suggests that the hypothalamicβpituitaryβadrenal HPA axis, a key physiological stress response pathway, is dysregulated in schizophrenia and related psychoses Pruessner et al.
One of the most reliable and widely used laboratory tests to assess the physiological stress response is the Trier social stress test TSST Dickerson and Kemeny The TSST consists of a short mock job interview and mental arithmetic task in front of an audience of two or three people.
Various physiological responses evoked by the TSST make it a valuable tool for studying the biological mechanisms mediating the effects of psychosocial factors on adverse disease progression in many psychiatric disorders.
