ArticlePsychopharmacology2026
Noradrenaline and cortisol exert differential effects on working memory and risk-taking behaviour in military personnel.
Article in Psychopharmacology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
rationaleMilitary personnel are exposed to bouts of acute stress during their careers, in which cognitive processes associated with decision-making might simultaneously suffer. Currently, it is still unclear how hormones and neurotransmitters involved in the acute stress response specifically affect these decision-making subprocesses, particularly in the military.
objectivesWe aimed to expose military personnel to pharmacological stress, in which noradrenaline and/or cortisol activity was stimulated. Next, decision-making subprocesses (i.e. working memory, impulse control and risk-taking) were assessed.
methodsA sample of 100 Dutch military personnel were recruited. Noradrenaline and/or cortisol activity was stimulated through oral administration of yohimbine and hydrocortisone, respectively. Decision-making subprocesses were assessed through computerised tasks.
resultsInduction of stress was confirmed through psychophysiological measures. Working memory seemed subtly affected by stress, as heightened noradrenaline slowed recall while cortisol accelerated it. Inhibition was unaffected by acute stress. Risk-taking was enhanced solely by noradrenaline, contrasting earlier research positing cortisol as a predictor of amplified risk-taking in civilians.
conclusionsOur findings contribute to the existing literature of the effects of acute stress on cognitive processes associated with decision-making, emphasising intricacies of the effects of specific stress hormones and neurotransmitters. Future research is needed to further identify these differential intricacies on cognitive processes, keeping potential differences between demographic subgroups in mind.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42560518What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.