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Distinct Domains of Psychosocial Stress Impact Brain and Behavior Function Across Working Memory and Episodic Memory Tasks

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Alin Alshaheri Durazo¹, Hillary B. Erwin², Hannah L. Apostolou², Alissa C. McIntyre², Martha R. Crowther², Rebecca S. Allen², Ian McDonough¹; ¹Department of Psychology, SUNY Binghamton University, ²Department of Psychology, The University of Alabama

Psychosocial stressors are prevalent sources of stress across the lifetime. Experiencing chronic stress can deteriorate physical and mental health. Most research has focused either on current evaluations of perceived stress or childhood stress (e.g., adverse childhood experiences), but few studies have examined the impact of specific stress domains during various life stages, from childhood to adulthood. The present study collected data from African Americans aged 50-74 from Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. A survey was administered to assess self-reported stress across various domains (discrimination, global, loneliness, personal/work, & financial) based on previous validated surveys. The questions were assessed across different life periods: childhood, 20’s/30’s, and current. Participants also underwent MRI scanning during two functional tasks: a 2-back working memory (WM) and a Remember/Know/New episodic memory (EM) task. Multivariate partial least squares regression (PLSR) assessed the associations between stress domains and brain activity. Greater discrimination and financial stress (young adulthood) and perceived and loneliness (current life) were significantly associated with reduced hit rates and increased reaction times under higher stress. For WM, most of the stress domains were associated with reduced brain activity in prefrontal cortex and precuneus (2-back>1-back) and greater activity in prefrontal and parietal regions (1-back>0-back). The opposite occurred for loneliness. For EM, greater stress (global, discrimination, loneliness) was associated with greater activity in posterior hippocampus and reduced activity in lateral parietal cortex (R>K) and improved accuracy. Understanding the stressor domains gives insight into how different exposures across life stages affect an individual's cognitive and brain health.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Development & aging