The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is an effective psychosocial laboratory protocol for inducing stress in humans and has been used in numerous research studies. The stressor leads to a physiological response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and the autonomous nervous system (ANS). Common biomarkers are cortisol levels and heart rate. In addition to the physiological stress re...

Staphylococcus aureus initiates infections and produces virulence factors, including superantigens (SAgs), at mucosal surfaces. The SAg, Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1) induces cytokine secretion from epithelial cells, antigen presenting cells (APCs) and T lymphocytes, and causes toxic shock syndrome (TSS). This study investigated the mechanism of TSST-1-induced secretion of proinflammato...

Researchers interested in the neurobiology of the acute stress response in humans require a valid and reliable acute stressor that can be used under experimental conditions. The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) provides such a testing platform. It induces stress by requiring participants to make an interview-style presentation, followed by a surprise mental arithmetic test, in front of an interv...

Virtual Reality Trier Social Stress Test (VR-TSST) protocols have been shown to effectively elicit psychophysiological stress by having participants perform a speech and math task while viewing virtual (non-present) audience. However, few studies utilized VR technology examine variables that would otherwise be difficult manipulate in the lab. This study examined impact of large audience (i.e., ...

The Staphylococcus aureus exotoxin toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) is a potent activator of T cells and monocytes. We have recently demonstrated that TSST-1 is a superantigen that binds monomorphic determinants on MHC class II molecules. In the present study, we have examined the effect of TSST-1 on the activation and differentiation of high density human tonsillar B cells. TSST-1 bound t...

Arch et al. (2014) demonstrated that brief self-compassion meditation training (SCT) dampened sympathetic (salivary alpha-amylase) and subjective anxiety responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), relative to attention and no-instruction control conditions. The present study examined baseline predictors and moderators of these SCT intervention effects. Baseline characteristics included t...

Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) is a 22-kDa exotoxin produced by strains of Staphylococcus aureus and implicated in the pathogenesis of toxic shock syndrome. In common with other staphylococcal exotoxins, TSST-1 has diverse immunological effects. These include the induction of interleukin 2 receptor expression, interleukin 2 synthesis, proliferation of human T lymphocytes, and stimulation...

The present study explored the motivational characteristics of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, Pirke, & Hellhammer, 1993). Seventy-two participants either completed the public-speaking component of the TSST or, as a control condition, the friendly TSST (Wiemers, Schoofs, & Wolf, 2013) and wrote picture stories both before and after treatment. Stories were coded for motivational ...

Many cases of neonatal toxic shock syndrome (TSS)-like exanthematous disease but few cases of menstrual TSS (mTSS) have been reported in Japan. We determined the prevalence of mucosal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus and of positive antibodies to TSS toxin 1 (TSST-1) among 209 healthy Japanese women in Tokyo. S. aureus isolates from mucosal sites were characterized with respect to TSST-1...

Toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), a superantigen produced from Staphylococcus aureus, has been reported to bind directly to unknown receptor(s) and penetrate into non-immune cells but its function is unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that recombinant TSST-1 suppresses autophagosomal accumulation in the autophagic-induced HeLa 229 cells. This suppression is shared by a superantigenic-...