Adrenaline and acute stress Flashcards
SAM
sympathomedullary pathway. hypothalamus alerted when threat perceived. activated sympathetic nervous system, sends signal to adrenal medulla to release adrenaline and noradrenaline. targets heart and key muscles. heart rate and blood pressure increases. once threat has passed parasympathetic nervous system dampens response
Heidt et al
based on studies on rats and medical staff. in cases where individuals have thickened arteries, the added stress led to increases in the number of white blood cells. causes inflammation and produce lesions
Leor et al
found there was an increase in number of deaths cause by cardiovascular issues on day of Northridge California earthquake in 1994. natural study
cardiomyopathy
effects people who suffer extreme emotional stress e.g. bereavement. involves massive release of adrenaline which paralyses the bottom half of the heart. shows adrenaline can have negative effects on the heart.
Dimsdale et al
have to be careful when saying stress causes disease as there’s many factors e.g. high cholesterol and smoking
Liu et al
suggests previous research hasn’t addressed cause and effect. people who are ill may report higher levels of stress and less happiness rather than the reverse. analysed data from 700,000 women. used questionnaires about happiness, life and health. after 10 yrs, 4% died. death rates among unhappy were not greater than among happy. suggests stress not a causal factor of heart disease.
gender differences.
Taylor et al women have different stress responses. ‘tend and befriend’. would have been adaptive to deal with stress by nurturing young and forming social networks.
oxytocin released when stress in men and women by testosterone inhibits its effects. it reduces fear response.
Blascovich et al
difference in response to stress depending on if its perceived as threat or challenge. when seen as challenge, blood vessels are relaxed, heart beats more powerfully, and performance likely improved.
Jamieson et al
randomly allocated participants to 3 conditions and had them give speech to two observers who gave negative feedback. one group told to think of their physiological response as functional and useful (challenge), 2nd told to ignore source of stress, 3rd given no instruction. 1st group showed more adaptive cardiovascular response.
Barlow
freeze response may occur when both fighting and runny away would be ineffective. observed in animals when they play dead. may have biological basis. brain pathway linking PAG to area of cerebellum which causes body to freeze in place.
