Resting state EEG delta-beta amplitude-amplitude coupling: a neural predictor of cortisol response under stress

doi:10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1

. 2024 Dec;18(6):3995-4007.

doi: 10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

Resting state EEG delta-beta amplitude-amplitude coupling: a neural predictor of cortisol response under stress

Xiaoyu Wang^{1

2}, Li Lin^{1

2}, Lei Zhan^{1

2}, Xianghong Sun^{1

2}, Zheng Huang^{1

2}, Liang Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

PMID: 39712085
PMCID: PMC11655767 (available on 2025-12-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1

Resting state EEG delta-beta amplitude-amplitude coupling: a neural predictor of cortisol response under stress

Xiaoyu Wang et al. Cogn Neurodyn. 2024 Dec.

. 2024 Dec;18(6):3995-4007.

doi: 10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1. Epub 2024 Oct 3.

Authors

Xiaoyu Wang^{1

2}, Li Lin^{1

2}, Lei Zhan^{1

2}, Xianghong Sun^{1

2}, Zheng Huang^{1

2}, Liang Zhang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
² University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

PMID: 39712085
PMCID: PMC11655767 (available on 2025-12-01)
DOI: 10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1

Abstract

Stress is ubiquitous in daily life. Subcortical and cortical regions closely interact to respond to stress. Delta-beta cross-frequency coupling (CFC), believed to signify communication between different brain areas, can serve as a neural signature underlying the heterogeneity in stress responses. Nevertheless, the role of cross-frequency coupling in stress prediction has not received sufficient attention. To examine the predictive role of resting state delta-beta CFC across the whole scalp, we obtained amplitude-amplitude coupling (AAC) and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) from 4-minute resting state EEG of seventy-three healthy participants. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was administered on a separate day to induce stress. Salivary cortisol and heart rate were recorded to measure stress responses. Utilizing cluster-based permutation analysis, the results showed that delta-beta AAC was positively correlated with cortisol increase magnitude (cluster t = 26.012, p = .020) and cortisol AUCi (cluster t = 23.039, p = .022) over parietal-occipital areas, which means that individuals with a stronger within-subject AAC demonstrated a greater cortisol response. These results suggest that AAC could be a valuable biomarker for predicting neuroendocrine activity under stress. However, no association between PAC and stress responses was found. Additionally, we did not detect the predictive effect of power in the delta or beta frequency bands on stress responses, suggesting that delta-beta AAC provides unique insights beyond single-band power. These findings enhance our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanism underpinning individual differences in stress responses and offer promising biomarkers for stress assessment and the detection of stress-related disorders.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11571-024-10174-1.

Keywords: Acute stress; Amplitude-amplitude coupling; Cortisol; Heart rate; Resting state EEG.

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

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References

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[1] Abubaker M, Al Qasem W, Kvašňák E (2021) Working memory and cross-frequency coupling of neuronal oscillations. Front Psychol 12. 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.756661 - PMC - PubMed

[2] Abubaker M, Al Qasem W, Kvašňák E (2021) Working memory and cross-frequency coupling of neuronal oscillations. Front Psychol 12. 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.756661 - PMC - PubMed

[3] Ahmadi A, Davoudi S, Daliri MR (2019) Computer aided diagnosis system for multiple sclerosis disease based on phase to amplitude coupling in covert visual attention. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 169:9–18. 10.1016/j.cmpb.2018.11.006 - PubMed

[4] Ahmadi A, Davoudi S, Daliri MR (2019) Computer aided diagnosis system for multiple sclerosis disease based on phase to amplitude coupling in covert visual attention. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 169:9–18. 10.1016/j.cmpb.2018.11.006 - PubMed

[5] Ahmadi A, Davoudi S, Behroozi M, Daliri MR (2020) Decoding covert visual attention based on phase transfer entropy. Physiol Behav 222:112932. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112932 - PubMed

[6] Ahmadi A, Davoudi S, Behroozi M, Daliri MR (2020) Decoding covert visual attention based on phase transfer entropy. Physiol Behav 222:112932. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112932 - PubMed

[7] Allen EA, Liu J, Kiehl KA, Gelernter J, Pearlson GD, Perrone-Bizzozero NI, Calhoun VD (2011) Components of Cross-Frequency Modulation in Health and Disease. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 5. 10.3389/fnsys.2011.00059 - PMC - PubMed

[8] Allen EA, Liu J, Kiehl KA, Gelernter J, Pearlson GD, Perrone-Bizzozero NI, Calhoun VD (2011) Components of Cross-Frequency Modulation in Health and Disease. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 5. 10.3389/fnsys.2011.00059 - PMC - PubMed

[9] Allen AP, Kennedy PJ, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, Clarke G (2014) Biological and psychological markers of stress in humans: focus on the Trier Social stress test. Neurosci Biobehavioral Reviews 38:94–124. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.11.005 - PubMed

[10] Allen AP, Kennedy PJ, Cryan JF, Dinan TG, Clarke G (2014) Biological and psychological markers of stress in humans: focus on the Trier Social stress test. Neurosci Biobehavioral Reviews 38:94–124. 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.11.005 - PubMed

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Resting state EEG delta-beta amplitude-amplitude coupling: a neural predictor of cortisol response under stress

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Resting state EEG delta-beta amplitude-amplitude coupling: a neural predictor of cortisol response under stress

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