Differences by Sex and Genotype in the Effects of Stress on Executive Functions

Participation Requirements

• Sex:

  ALL

• Eligible Ages:

  20 to 35

Participation Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Between the ages of 20 and 35 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* a neurological impairment or disorder, learning disability, or psychological syndrome that might affect EF performance (such as ADHD)
* inability to understand the task instructions (which are in English), or difficulty hearing the instructions, seeing the stimuli, or executing a manual response.
* a serious adverse event during pregnancy or birth.
* an injury (such as a head injury with loss of consciousness) that might affect EF performance.
* a major trauma that might affect current EFs and stress responsivity
* undue current life stress level
* taking any medication that affects thinking, memory, mental clarity, or any other EF ability.
* taking any medication that influences circulating gonadal hormone levels (such as oral contraceptives \[birth control pill\]).
* having taken such medications within the preceding four months.
* smokers
* use of recreational drugs or consumption of alcohol 24 hours prior to the testing sessions
* women without a period that occurs roughly every month (predicting the onset of the next menses in women who don't have their period monthly is difficult)
* women who are pregnant or who are nursing.
* having the eye problem glaucoma
* having a heart condition
* being anxious, tense or agitated
* taking or have taken within the past 14 days an anti-depression medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor or MAOI.
* taking pressor agents (for hypotension treatment)
* taking coumarin anticoagulants
* taking anticonvulsants (phenobarbital, diphenylhydantoin, primidone)
* taking phenylbutazone (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug)
* taking tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine, desipramine)
* taking cold or allergy medicine that contain decongestants
* being allergic to anything in either the MPH or Vitamin C capsules (methylphenidate HCL, ascorbic acid, lactose, gelatin, Titanium dioxide, D\&C Red #28, FD\&C Blue #1, FD\&C Red #40)