MR stimulation
Given that MR antagonism rather impairs cognitive performance, MR
activation may improve it. Indeed, several studies suggest that a single
administration of fludrocortisone acutely enhances verbal learning
performance and visuo-spatial memory retrieval (Groch et al. ,
2013; Hinkelmann et al. , 2015; Piber et al. , 2016) but not
autobiographic memory retrieval (Fleischer et al. , 2015).
Notably, visuo-spatial memory is strongly hippocampus-dependent, and the
effects of fludrocortisone are likely to be explained by high MR density
in this brain region.
The data are less clear regarding other cognitive domains. No effects of
MR activation were found with respect to executive function (Grochet al. , 2013; Otte, Wingenfeld, Kuehl, Kaczmarczyk, et
al. , 2015), but healthy humans made riskier decisions (Deuter et
al. , 2017). Furthermore, an enhanced attentional bias towards negative
faces was observed (Schultebraucks K, Wingenfeld K, Otte C, 2016),
although unreplicable in a more heterogeneous sample (Nowacki et
al. , 2021). These findings are compatible with the hypothesis that MR
activation stimulates the brain salience network and suggests
involvement in appraisal of novel situations, attentional vigilance to
salient information, and behavioural flexibility (Vogel et al. ,
2016).
The salience network is also important for social cognition. Humans
often must perform complex social tasks whilst stressed, challenged or
in emotionally aroused. Accordingly, several studies demonstrated that
psychosocial stress enhanced several aspects of social cognition and
prosocial behaviours (von Dawans et al. , 2012; Deckers et
al. , 2015; Wolf 2017). Additionally, MR stimulation was shown to
increase empathy scores (Wingenfeld et al. , 2014; Nowacki,
Wingenfeld, Kaczmarczyk, Chae, Abu-Tir, et al. , 2020), adding to
a role for MR in adequate and successful social functioning.