Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund In der COVID-19(„coronavirus disease 2019“)-Pandemie zeigten Studien Hinweise auf Veränderungen der Inanspruchnahme der stationären und ambulanten psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutischen Versorgung sowie der psychiatrischen Notfallversorgung. Beobachtungsebene und Repräsentativität dieser Studien waren jedoch heterogen. Ziele der Arbeit Veränderungen der Inanspruchnahme psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutischer Versorgung im ersten Jahr der COVID-19-Pandemie wurden durch systematische Literatursuche, Bewertung der Qualitäts- und Beobachtungsebene sowie Metaanalyse der Effekte eingeordnet. Material und Methoden Systematische Suche in PubMed, PsycInfo und Embase bis Juni 2023 sowie Nachsuche in PubMed bis einschließlich Oktober 2024. Daten wurden den Zeiträumen 1. Lockdownphase, Zwischenlockdownphase, 2. Lockdownphase, ganzes Pandemiejahr 2020 zugeordnet. Ergebnisse Insgesamt konnten 17 Studien eingeschlossen werden. Es zeigten sich für die Anzahl stationärer Aufnahmen Reduktionen für die 1. Lockdownphase von RR 0,74; 95 %-KI [0,70; 0,79]; I ² 95,5 %; t ² 0,0053 und für die 2. Lockdownphase von RR 0,78; 95 %-KI [0,75; 0,81]; I ² 97,1 %; t ² 0,0058. Für psychiatrische Notfallversorgung wurden nur Studien niedriger Beobachtungsebene gefunden und für ambulante Inanspruchnahme nur zwei Studien mit unterschiedlichen Indikatoren. Bezüglich der Verordnung psychotroper Medikamente zeigten sich keine eindeutigen Veränderungen. Diskussion Im ersten Jahr der COVID-19-Pandemie war die Inanspruchnahme psychiatrisch-psychotherapeutischer Versorgung insbesondere für den stationären Sektor reduziert. Die Auswirkungen dieser signifikanten Einschränkungen sind unklar. Wir schlagen daher eine Versorgungs-Surveillance vor, die solche Veränderungen und mögliche Folgen zeitnah erfassen könnte.

Background It is known that refugees have an elevated risk of common mental disorders (CMDs, including depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders). The effect of the coronavirus disease pandemic on healthcare use due to CMDs in refugees is yet unknown, especially in socioeconomically deprived groups. We conducted a population-wide study comparing specialized healthcare use for CMDs and antidepressant prescriptions before and during the pandemic in refugees and Swedish-born, and investigated differences by labor market marginalization and education. Methods An interrupted time series analysis of quarterly cohorts (2018.01.01–2021.12.31) of all refugees and Swedish-born, aged 19 to 65 was applied. Information on outcome measures and covariates were linked individually from administrative registers. We applied interrupted time series and estimated incidence rate ratios (IRR) of the incidence rates (IR) and their corresponding confidence intervals (CI) before and during the pandemic. Results A total of 4,932,916 individuals, of whom 488,299 (9.9%) were refugees, were included at baseline. We observed a 3% (95% CI: 1%, 5%) quarterly increase in trends of healthcare use due to CMDs in refugees, but no changes in Swedish-born individuals. The IRRs were larger in refugees whose labor market position was marginalized (IRR: 6%, (3%, 9%)), and refugees with low education level (IRR: 4% (1%, 7%)). There were no substantial changes in antidepressant prescription. Conclusion Refugees, especially those already in a marginalized position, had increased CMD-related mental healthcare use during the pandemic. Strategies to meet the mental health care needs of marginalized refugees are of outmost public health importance.

Shared first authorship (Shau) has become common practice across research disciplines. However, it remains unclear whether Shau affects attributed academic career success. We investigate the relevance of author order with a specific focus on Shau in the context of an academic selection process. Specifically, we conducted an experimental vignette study among one hundred seventy-seven academics and invited participants to evaluate the CV of a fictitious applicant. We manipulated the peer-reviewed publication section of the CV where the applicant was either the sole first author, second author, had Shau and was listed first, or had Shau and was listed second. Using seven criteria of academic career evaluation (e.g., attributed competence), results of MANOVA showed that first and Shau authors were similarly evaluated. Contrary to concerns that Shau could dilute the credit attributed to the first-named author, our findings indicate that both the first and second named Shau authors receive full credit without disadvantaging each other’s attribution of success. Overall, we found no negative but even positive effects of Shau on attributed career success. We further discuss the practice and (mis)use of Shau itself as well as the need to evaluate applicants for academic positions holistically, going beyond the number of (shared) first authorships.

Background and aims Tinnitus, characterized by the conscious perception of sound without external acoustic stimulation, presents a multifaceted challenge. Recent research suggests a potential association between tinnitus and cardiovascular health. To elucidate these associations further, we examined the prevalence of tinnitus alongside its distress levels and their associations with cardiovascular risk factors, diseases, and risk of death within a general population cohort. Methods and results This study analyzed data from the prospective Gutenberg Health Study (GHS), a population-based cohort of 15,010 individuals aged 35–74, who underwent baseline assessments from 2007 to 2012. We focused on the 10-year follow-up (2017–2020) of the GHS, including otologic testing with 8539 subjects, of whom 2387 (28%) reported tinnitus, allowing for a comprehensive cross-sectional and prospective analysis. Participants completed a questionnaire on hearing-related symptoms, including tinnitus presence (“Do you suffer from ringing in the ears (tinnitus)?” yes/no) and distress (“How much do you feel bothered by it?”), rated on a six-point scale from 0 (“not bothersome”) to 5 (“very bothersome”). Outcomes were assessed based on observed prevalent cardiovascular conditions (i.e., cardiovascular risk factors and diseases) and deaths. Additionally, calculated cardiovascular risk was assessed using the SCORE2 algorithm. Significant differences in baseline characteristics emerged between participants with and without tinnitus, with the former exhibiting advanced age, male predominance, and a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and diseases. Tinnitus displayed associations with various prevalent cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation (odds ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.11–1.96), peripheral artery disease (1.43, 1.05–1.95), coronary artery disease (1.49, 1.09–2.04), and any cardiovascular disease (1.31, 1.11–1.56), persisting even after adjustments for demographic, socioeconomic, and cardiovascular risk factors. While crude associations with several prevalent cardiovascular risk factors were observed, these associations diminished upon comprehensive adjustment. Tinnitus presence was associated with elevated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk (incidence rate ratio 1.11, 1.09–1.13), as indicated by higher SCORE 2 values, yet did not predict all-cause mortality risk. Conclusions In the present study, tinnitus was associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease. However, no association with cardiovascular risk factors and mortality was found.

Trait neuroticism predicts an increased risk of mortality. However, high levels of both neuroticism and conscientiousness (i.e., healthy neuroticism) are associated with various positive health behaviors. Eating behavior is a modifiable risk factor for obesity and metabolic diseases. This study investigated the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between healthy neuroticism and eating behaviors. The data from the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research—Rockland Sample included 712 adults with complete assessments of personality, eating behaviors, and metabolic markers. Linear and mixed linear regression models were used to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of eating behaviors and personality traits, adjusting for sociodemographics, sleep quality, and body mass index (BMI). Healthy neuroticism cross-sectionally predicted the disinhibition and hunger dimensions of eating behavior, a result that withstood the inclusion of disease burden, clinical metabolic markers, and other personality traits. Longitudinally, healthy neuroticism did not predict changes in eating behavior. Greater conscientiousness scores were associated with increased restraint. These findings provide the first evidence that neuroticism is associated with less maladaptive eating behavior when modulated by conscientiousness. The implications of these associations for the relationships between eating behavior, metabolic health, and personality are discussed.

The estimated latency of the unobservable stop response, the so-called stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), has been the established measure of performance in the stop-signal task. While it is currently debated whether SSRT is a suitable marker of inhibition performance, other markers such as the reliability of triggering the stop process (“stop trigger failures”) are coming into focus. In the present study, we elucidated the mechanisms associated with trigger failures using a model-based neuroscience approach by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging for the first time. To this end, we used a large, open-access fMRI data set to investigate the relationship between the probability of trigger failures and fMRI signal change in a stop-signal task in healthy adults (n = 113). Stop trigger failures were associated with less activity in the substantia nigra during unsuccessful stopping and with less activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) region during successful inhibition. Although stop trigger failures strongly correlated with SSRT, we found only little evidence for a correlation between SSRT and stopping-related fMRI signal. Thus, in particular, the reliability of the stop process and not its estimated latency depends on the recruitment of key nodes within the prefrontal-subthalamic hyperdirect pathway. More specifically, stop trigger failures may be linked to inadequate substantia nigra innervation at the neural network level. As current evidence suggests that the hyperdirect pathway is engaged by the processing of salient stimuli, deficiencies in assessing the relevance of the stop signal may represent a phenotype associated with a propensity to trigger the stop process unreliably.

Parents of children in need of care, such as those caring for chronically ill and disabled children, are exposed to significant stress associated with caregiving, placing them at risk for mental disorders. Resilience factors, as psychological resources, can help mitigate the negative effects of stress for both parents and their children, ultimately promoting resilient outcomes. However, little is known about the relationship between resilience factors and resilient outcomes in this highly stressor-exposed population. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between resilience factors and resilient outcomes in parents of children in need of care, thereby contributing to a better understanding of how these factors can influence parents’ quality of life. A sample of 202 German-speaking parents of children in need of care from a non-randomized controlled trial (ID: NCT05418205) completed measures assessing resilience-related outcomes, including indicators of mental distress, well-being, perceived stress, and the ability to recover from stressors. Using k-means cluster analysis, two clusters were identified, differentiating burdened and unburdened individuals based on their responses. Logistic regression was subsequently conducted to examine the predictive role of psychological resilience factors—self-efficacy, social support, optimism, internal locus of control, and family cohesion—in distinguishing between the two groups. Results from the logistic regression analysis revealed that self-efficacy, social support, optimism, and family cohesion were significant predictors of cluster membership. These findings contribute to the understanding of the influence of resilience factors on resilient outcomes in parents of children in need of care.

Background Tissue clearing combined with light-sheet microscopy is gaining popularity among neuroscientists interested in unbiased assessment of their samples in 3D volume. However, the analysis of such data remains a challenge. ClearMap and CellFinder are tools for analyzing neuronal activity maps in an intact volume of cleared mouse brains. However, these tools lack a user interface, restricting accessibility primarily to scientists proficient in advanced Python programming. The application presented here aims to bridge this gap and make data analysis accessible to a wider scientific community. Results We developed an easy-to-adopt graphical user interface for cell quantification and group analysis of whole cleared adult mouse brains. Fundamental statistical analysis, such as PCA and box plots, and additional visualization features allow for quick data evaluation and quality checks. Furthermore, we present a use case of ClearFinder GUI for cross-analyzing the same samples with two cell counting tools, highlighting the discrepancies in cell detection efficiency between them. Conclusions Our easily accessible tool allows more researchers to implement the methodology, troubleshoot arising issues, and develop quality checks, benchmarking, and standardized analysis pipelines for cell detection and region annotation in whole volumes of cleared brains.

This study investigates the association between self-reported birth weight (BW) and the frequency of cataract and pseudophakia in a large population-based cohort in Germany, as part of the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS). Slit lamp examination and Scheimpflug imaging of 8205 participants, aged 35 to 74, were assessed and signs of cataract or pseudophakia analyzed. The research aimed to explore the correlation between fetal growth restriction and/or prematurity indicated by BW and the frequency of cataract and pseudophakia. In the univariable analysis, cataract was initially associated with low and high BW, but this association disappeared after adjusting for age, sex, examiner and cardiovascular risk factors. No association was found between low BW and pseudophakia or the frequency of cataract surgery within 5 years. The study reveals novel insights from a large population-based study specifically exploring this association.

Migrant populations – including labour migrants, undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, refugees, internationally displaced persons, and other populations on the move – are exposed to a variety of stressors that affect their mental health. We designed and tested the effectiveness of a stepped‐care programme consisting of two scalable psychological interventions developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and locally adapted for migrant populations. A parallel‐group randomized controlled trial was conducted in Italy. We recruited migrant adults (≥18 years) with psychological distress (score of at least 16 on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, K10). The experimental arm received psychological first aid (PFA) and a stepped‐care programme consisting of two WHO interventions adapted for this population group: first, Doing What Matters in Times of Stress (DWM) and, for participants who still reported significant levels of psychological distress after DWM, Problem Management Plus (PM+). Each intervention lasted 5‐6 weeks and was delivered remotely by lay facilitators. The control arm received PFA and care as usual (CAU). The primary outcome was the change in symptoms of depression and anxiety from baseline to week 21 after randomization, measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire Anxiety and Depression Scale (PHQ‐ADS). Between December 14, 2021 and April 18, 2023, 108 migrants were randomized to the stepped‐care intervention and 109 to CAU. Analysis of the primary outcome revealed that participants receiving the stepped‐care programme showed a greater reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms compared to those receiving CAU (coefficient: –3.460, standard error, SE: 1.050, p=0.001) at week 21. The same difference was observed at week 7 (coefficient: –3.742, SE=1.008, p<0.001) and week 14 (coefficient: –6.381, SE=1.039, p<0.001). The stepped‐care programme was also associated with a greater improvement of depression and anxiety symptoms assessed separately at all timepoints, of post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms at weeks 14 and 21, and of self‐assessed problems, function and well‐being at all timepoints. No serious adverse events occurred. This study provides evidence supporting the stepped‐care delivery of DWM and PM+ for migrant population groups with elevated distress. As these interventions are low‐intensity, transdiagnostic and task‐shifting, they are highly scalable. Existing evidence‐based guidelines and implementation packages should be updated accordingly.

Background Normal aging is associated with alterations of functional connectivity (FC) in brain neuronal networks. Altered network connectivity may be associated with accelerated cognitive decline. Physical activity is considered a beneficial lifestyle factor for maintaining cognitive health. Higher intensities of physical activity may induce structural and functional changes in the brain, particularly in regions involved in cognitive functions, such as memory, attention and executive functions. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are not widely investigated. Our aim was to examine the association between resting‐state FC of brain networks and baseline physical activity in healthy older adults. Method We analyzed baseline resting‐state fMRI and baseline physical activity data of 149 healthy older adults (mean age: 68 years) from the AgeGain study. Physical activity was measured by using actigraphs worn for 7 days. Different intensities were measured, such as light, mean and moderate‐to‐vigorous activity (min/d). We used Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and seed‐based approaches to examine brain network activity in the Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SAL), Central Executive Network (CEN), Visual Network (VN) for cognitive effects and Sensorimotor Network (SMN) for physical effects. Result We observed statistically significant associations between functional activation within SMN and light physical activity and spatially restricted effects for DMN and moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (p <.01 uncorrected). In addition, we observed an overlap on frontal activation across DMN, SMN and SAL. Results of the seed‐based analysis will be presented at the conference. Conclusion Light to higher intensities of physical activity showed an association with higher functional activation of networks previously associated with cognitive decline and physical activity. This agrees with the notion that physical activity may be a protective factor against cognitive decline. Further research is needed to test the replicability of these results.

Objectives Overconsumption of palatable food and energy accumulation are evolutionary mechanisms of survival when food is scarce. These innate mechanisms becom detrimental in obesogenic environment promoting obesity and related comorbidities, including mood disorders. This study aims at elucidating the role of the endocannabinoid system in energy accumulation and hedonic feeding. Methods We applied a genetic strategy to reconstitute cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB1) expression at functional levels specifically in CaMKII+ neurons (CaMKII-CB1-RS) and adipocytes (Ati-CB1-RS), respectively, in a CB1 deficient background. Results Rescued CB1 expression in CaMKII+ neurons, but not in adipocytes, promotes feeding behavior, leading to fasting-induced hyperphagia, increased motivation, and impulsivity to palatable food seeking. In a diet-induced obesity model, CB1 re-expression in CaMKII+ neurons, but not in adipocytes, compared to complete CB1 deficiency, was sufficient to largely restore weight gain, food intake without any effect on glucose intolerance associated with high-fat diet consumption. In a model of glucocorticoid-mediated metabolic syndrome, CaMKII-CB1-RS mice showed all metabolic alterations linked to the human metabolic syndrome except of glucose intolerance. In a binge-eating model mimicking human pathological feeding, CaMKII-CB1-RS mice showed increased seeking and compulsive behavior to palatable food, suggesting crucial roles in foraging and an enhanced susceptibility to addictive-like eating behaviors. Importantly, other contingent behaviors, including increased cognitive flexibility and reduced anxiety-like behaviors, but not depressive-like behaviors, were also observed. Conclusions CB1 in CaMKII+ neurons is instrumental in feeding behavior and energy storage under physiological conditions. The exposure to risk factors (hypercaloric diet, glucocorticoid dysregulation) leads to obesity, metabolic syndrome, binge-eating and food addiction.

The elucidation of the functional neuroanatomy of human fear, or threat, extinction has started in the 2000s by a series of enthusiastically greeted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that were able to translate findings from rodent research about an involvement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the hippocampus in fear extinction into human models. Enthusiasm has been painfully dampened by a meta-analysis of human fMRI studies by Fullana and colleagues in 2018 who showed that activation in these areas is inconsistent, sending shock waves through the extinction research community. The present review guides readers from the field (as well as non-specialist readers desiring safe knowledge about human extinction mechanisms) during a series of exposures with corrective information. New information about extinction-related brain activation not considered by Fullana et al. will also be presented. After completion of this exposure-based fear reduction program, readers will trust that the reward learning system, the cerebellum, the vmPFC, the hippocampus, and a wider brain network are involved in human fear extinction, along with the neurotransmitters dopamine and noradrenaline. Specific elements of our exposure program include exploitation of the temporal dynamics of extinction, of the spatial heterogeneity of extinction-related brain activation, of functional connectivity methods, and of large sample sizes. Implications of insights from studies in healthy humans for the understanding and treatment of anxiety-related disorders are discussed.

Background Loneliness has become a major public health issue of the recent decades due to its severe impact on health and mortality. Little is known about the relation between loneliness and social anxiety. This study aimed (1) to explore levels of loneliness and social anxiety in the general population, and (2) to assess whether and how loneliness affects symptoms of social anxiety and vice versa over a period of five years. Methods The study combined data from the baseline assessment and the five-year follow-up of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study. Data of N = 15 010 participants at baseline ( M age = 55.01, s.d. age = 11.10) were analyzed. Multiple regression analyses with loneliness and symptoms of social anxiety at follow-up including sociodemographic, physical illnesses, and mental health indicators at baseline were used to test relevant covariates. Effects of loneliness on symptoms of social anxiety over five years and vice versa were analyzed by autoregressive cross-lagged structural equation models. Results At baseline, 1076 participants (7.41%) showed symptoms of social anxiety and 1537 (10.48%) participants reported feelings of loneliness. Controlling for relevant covariates, symptoms of social anxiety had a small significant effect on loneliness five years later (standardized estimate of 0.164, p < 0.001). Vice versa, there was no significant effect of loneliness on symptoms of social anxiety taking relevant covariates into account. Conclusions Findings provided evidence that symptoms of social anxiety are predictive for loneliness. Thus, prevention and intervention efforts for loneliness need to address symptoms of social anxiety.

During the past 30 years, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) has emerged as a major signalling system in the mammalian brain regulating neurotransmission in numerous brain regions and in various cell populations. Endocannabinoids are able to regulate specific physiological functions and thus modify their behavioural manifestations and allostatic alterations of the ECS linked to different pathological conditions. As discussed in detail in other chapters of this book, endocannabinoids are involved in learning and memory, stress, and anxiety, feeding, energy balance, development, and ageing. Likewise, many CNS disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, epilepsy, substance use disorders, and multiple sclerosis) are associated with dysregulation of the ECS. Discerning the physiological functions of the synthetic and degrading enzymes of endocannabinoids and their receptors is a challenging task because of their distinct and complex expression patterns. Techniques of genetic engineering have been able to shed light on a number of complex ECS-related tasks during the past years. In this chapter, first, we take a critical look at the toolbox available to researchers who would like to investigate cannabinoid effects using genetic engineering techniques, then we comprehensively discuss genetically modified rodent models in various neuronal and non-neuronal cell populations, both within and outside the nervous system.

Parents and children often engage in joint play—a domain where mothers and fathers are thought to exhibit disparate behaviors and impact child development via distinct mechanisms. However, little is known about the neural substrates of mother-child and father-child play. In this fMRI study, we sampled the brain activation of parents of preschoolers ( N = 88) during a novel event-related adaptation of the virtual ball-tossing game “Cyberball.” Mothers ( N = 40) and fathers ( N = 48) played “Cyberball” ostensibly with their own and an unrelated child, who consecutively included, excluded, and reincluded parents. We found that overall, exclusion yielded comparable neural activations in mothers and fathers associated with mentalizing, saliency, and emotion processing. We also observed a parent gender effect in several brain areas. While mothers exhibited increased reward- and attention-related activity during inclusion, fathers displayed increased mentalizing-related activity during exclusion. Furthermore, we tested parents’ response to reinclusion, which revealed a selective decrease in reward-related activity. Finally, exploratory analyses showed that parental involvement was positively correlated with parental brain activity within attention- and mentalizing-related areas during inclusion, as opposed to other game phases, and that an anxious parenting style was associated with increased neural sensitivity for game events involving their own child. Overall, our study elucidates the common and distinct neural networks that mothers and fathers engage during play interactions with their children, supporting theories that postulate only a partial differentiation of paternal and maternal parenting systems.

In surveys of people with diabetes receiving inpatient treatment, about a third stated that they did not experience the disease and therapy as a burden. Research shows that individual resources and resilience (factors) play an important role in the adaptation process in order to cope well with the disease. It is therefore important to identify such resources and resilience factors during treatment in order to be able to implement personalized interventions to promote resilience at an early stage. The article shows easy-to-use options for this in practice. For example, questions from motivational interviewing (MI) can be used to record individual resources in the physician–patient consultation. Tried and tested questionnaire instruments exist for measuring evidence-based resilience factors. In addition, an economic resilience screening for people with diabetes is proposed, which includes the assessment of diabetes-related distress (Problem Areas in Diabetes Survey [PAID]), subjective well-being (WHO-5 Well-Being Index [World Health Organization]) and resilience as a psychological ability to recover (Brief Resilience Scale [BRS]). Finally, a case study is used to explain the practical benefits of the screening in order to specifically support people with diabetes in strengthening their motivation for therapy, willingness to change, and resilience.

In this study, we examined how Big Five personality traits relate to outcome-based resilience in primarily female, upper-middle class, ethnically diverse U.S. adolescents (baseline N = 535; age range = 15–17) oversampled on elevated neuroticism. Cross-sectional, prospective-longitudinal, and dynamic analyses were performed with 8-year longitudinal data. Using a residualization approach, we approximated resilience as low stressor reactivity, calculated by regressing depression and anxiety diagnosis severity onto chronic stressor exposure over 1-year periods. Cross-sectional associations with stressor reactivity were observed for neuroticism (positive), extraversion (negative), openness (positive), and conscientiousness (negative). A positive prospective-longitudinal association with stressor reactivity was observed for neuroticism. In contemporaneous and lagged dynamic analyses, within-persons dynamics and mean levels of neuroticism (positive) and extraversion (negative) were associated with stressor reactivity. There were also unique associations with stressor reactivity for neuroticism (positive), extraversion (negative), and agreeableness (positive). Results indicate relevance of mean levels and intraindividual dynamics of personality, particularly neuroticism, for resilience in adolescents.

Chronic stress has been connected to a reduced effort and motivational deficits. To study effort-based motivation in rodents, operant conditioning is often employed. However, caloric restriction is typically imposed simultaneously. Since caloric restriction is a stressor in its own right, this procedure interferes with data interpretation. Here, we investigate whether chronic social defeat stress (CSD), lasting 10 consecutive days, would alter effort-based reward motivation in mice trained under ad libitum food conditions. Utilizing operant FED3 boxes in home cages, mice were trained within eight days to nose poke for palatable food. After training completion, operant memory was retained for at least 16 days, and mice demonstrated sustained effort, as assessed with a progressive ratio schedule, to obtain reward pellets. Directly after CSD exposure (10th day), mice exhibited reduced effort for palatable food rewards, but also displayed reduced nose poking in general. The effects of CSD on effort were short-lived, with no lasting impact on effort-based reward motivation one week post-stress. As corticosterone (CORT) levels were increased at day 10 of CSD, but not at day 17, we hypothesized that CORT might mediate the acute effects of CSD on effort-based reward motivation. Indeed, CORT administration [100 μg/ml], supplied via the drinking water, mirrored the CSD-induced CORT spike and temporarily reduced reward motivation. Our findings emphasize that CSD does not result in long-term deficits in reward motivation, suggesting a resilient adaptive response in mice under unrestricted feeding conditions. This study underscores the necessity of considering temporal dynamics of stress impacts and highlights the modulating effects of CORT. These insights contribute to a deeper understanding of the resilience mechanisms in motivational impairments and pave the way for further research into factors facilitating this resilience.