Temporal stability and effect dynamics between executive functions, perceived chronic stress and hair cortisol concentrations

The present prospective cohort study investigated how executive functions (i.e., response inhibition, updating, and set shifting) proceed over time, influence each other, and are affected by chronic stress exposure. From 2016 to 2019, 516 German participants were asked twice a year to complete an online assessment including a Go/NoGo, spatial 2-Back and Number-Letter task. Accuracy-adjusted response times in task-specific target trials or their contrasts to non-target trials were used as executive performance measures. Self-reports on the perceived stress scale (PSS) and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) served as measures of chronic stress. All executive performance and stress measures showed considerable intraindividual stability over time: Those participants responding faster in one task tended to do so months to three years later or, those who currently showed higher levels of chronic stress tended to do so months to three years later. Interestingly, current inhibition or updating performance predicted later shifting performance and, current inhibition or shifting performance predicted later HCC. However, current levels of perceived stress were not predictive of later HCC (and vice versa). None of the chosen chronic stress measure was significantly associated with later executive performance. These findings suggest that although executive processes might modulate the body’s physiological response to chronic stress exposure, they appear to be relatively robust against disturbances of chronic stress exposure.