Biology

Can we understand how developmental stress enhances performance under future threat with the Yerkes-Dodson law?

L. E. Chaby, M. J. Sheriff, et al.

Adolescent chronic stress in rats produced a 43% improvement in adult foraging performance under high-threat conditions, with no impairment under low-threat contexts despite a 106% delay in foraging initiation and similar food intake. Framed by the Yerkes-Dodson law, the authors propose developmental stress shifts the arousal–performance curve, expanding the optimal arousal range and conferring a context-dependent advantage. This research was conducted by Lauren E Chaby, Michael J Sheriff, Amy M Hirrlinger, and Victoria A Braithwaite.