The Effects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Psychosocial Stress-Induced Impairment on Core Executive Functions

Colon-delivery capsules of SCFAs.

Microcrystaline cellulose placebo capsules.

The Maastricht Acute Stress Task. This 15-minute stress-inducing task consists of a 5-minute preparation phase where instructions about the upcoming tasks are given, followed by a 10-minute acute stress phase where the hand immersion trial (HIT) in ice-cold water and mental arithmetic (MA) task is given interchangeably.

The placebo version of the MAST follows the same structure of the MAST with none of the stress elements. It uses lukewarm water and simple arithmetic's.