Neural activation in stress-related exhaustion: Cross-sectional observations and interventional effects

Hanna Malmberg Gavelin*, Anna Stigsdotter Neely, Micael Andersson, Therese Eskilsson, Lisbeth Slunga Järvholm, Carl Johan Boraxbekk

*Corresponding author af dette arbejde

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

13 Citationer (Scopus)

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the association between burnout and neural activation during working memory processing in patients with stress-related exhaustion. Additionally, we investigated the neural effects of cognitive training as part of stress rehabilitation. Fifty-five patients with clinical diagnosis of exhaustion disorder were administered the n-back task during fMRI scanning at baseline. Ten patients completed a 12-week cognitive training intervention, as an addition to stress rehabilitation. Eleven patients served as a treatment-as-usual control group. At baseline, burnout level was positively associated with neural activation in the rostral prefrontal cortex, the posterior parietal cortex and the striatum, primarily in the 2-back condition. Following stress rehabilitation, the striatal activity decreased as a function of improved levels of burnout. No significant association between burnout level and working memory performance was found, however, our findings indicate that frontostriatal neural responses related to working memory were modulated by burnout severity. We suggest that patients with high levels of burnout need to recruit additional cognitive resources to uphold task performance. Following cognitive training, increased neural activation was observed during 3-back in working memory-related regions, including the striatum, however, low sample size limits any firm conclusions.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftPsychiatry Research - Neuroimaging
Vol/bind269
Sider (fra-til)17-25
Antal sider9
ISSN0925-4927
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 30 nov. 2017

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Grant no. 2009-0772 ), the Swedish Social Insurance Agency ( REHSAM , Grant no. 99368-2009/RS09 ), the Västerbotten County Council , the Graduate School in Population Dynamics and Public Policy at Umeå University , the Kempe Foundation and the Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation . These data have partly been presented at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting in New York in March 2016 and will be part of Hanna M G's doctoral dissertation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Citationsformater