Endocrine System 3 Flashcards
What is stress?
Stress is the state of mental or emotion pressure that threatens or perceives to threaten the homeostatic balance of an organism
What is the stress response regulated by?
Hypothalamus
What are the three stages of a stress response?
Flight-flight, resistance and exhaustion stage
What happens during the fight-flight response?
Rapidly mobilizes & assembles the nervous system to poise the body to act against the stressor
What happens during resistance?
Slowly stabilizes the body’s responses towards homeostasis but continues action against the stressor
What happens during the Exhaustion stage?
Body can no longer cope continue resistance against the stressor due to the depletion of energy and the body’s resources and can lead to systemic damage & suppress the immune system
What are some stress responses?
Increases in HR, contractility, constriction of blood vessels in skin & internal organs, and vasodilation in heart, lungs, brain & skeletal muscle, conversion of glycogen into glucose, stall unnecessary functions such as urination/digestion & dilation the airways for increased oxygen
What is the role of epinephrine & norepinephrine?
Prolong stress responses during flight-flight stage
What is the role of cortisol?
Major long-term stress hormone which is released during resistance from the adrenal cortex by ACTH from anterior pituitary gland
What are the functions of cortisol?
Anti-inflammatory, suppresses the immune system, mobilizes energy metabolism from fats, proteins & glucose to provide fuel for cellular energy.
What are the effects of prolonged stress?
Muscle wasting, supressed immune system, GI ulceration, failure of pancreatic beta cells & growth inhibition
What are some stress advantages?
Increase oxygen & glucose production, accelerate activity of cardiovascular & respiratory systems and increase alertness & memory
What are some disadvantages of stress?
May lead to illness when severely disrupting a person’s life, or prolonged or uncontrolled, and increase susceptibility to UC, Depression, IBS & heart attack
What are the three parts of stress therapy?
Stressor avoidance, response change & stress relivance
