Stress and memory retrieval in women: no strong impairing effect during the luteal phase.

Stress has been shown to impair delayed memory retrieval, but so far no study has been conducted solely with naturally cycling women. In a crossover design, 36 women (all in the luteal phase) participated in two experimental conditions (stress vs. control). Delayed memory retrieval of a wordlist learned 24 hours earlier was tested after stress or control treatment. Although stressed subjects showed a strong cortisol increase following stress, no influence on memory retrieval occurred. In an additional data analysis, subjects were split up into a cortisol responder and a cortisol nonresponder group. However, again no evidence for a stress-induced retrieval impairment became apparent. Similarly, no correlation was observed between the stress-induced cortisol increase and memory. This study failed to find an influence of stress on memory retrieval in women tested in the luteal phase. The findings are in contrast to our previous results obtained with men. Evidence is discussed that the luteal phase, which is characterized by elevated gonadal steroids, is associated with reduced glucocorticoid sensitivity. This might underlie the missing impact of stress on memory.