SAN DIEGO, Oct 25, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- An Ohio State University study found pre-test jitters made it easier to recall memorized facts, but stress also made it tougher to solve problems.

The researchers gave a battery of simple cognitive tests to 19 first-year medical students one to two days before a regular classroom exam -- a period when they would be highly stressed. The students were given a similar battery of tests a week after the exam, when their lives were less stressful.

While the pre-exam stress helped students accurately recall a list of memorized numbers, they did less well on the tests that required them to consider many possibilities in order to come up with a reasonable answer. However, a week after the exam, the opposite was true.

"Other studies have suggested elevated stress levels can actually improve some aspects of cognition, particularly working memory," said study co-author Jessa Alexander. "The results of the two problem-solving tests we administered suggested a decline in problem solving abilities that required flexible thinking."

Alexander and David Beversdorf, an assistant professor of neurology at Ohio State, presented the study Monday during the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego.

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