Fight or Flight Response

Question 1

What is the fight or flight response?

Answer 1

• When a person is in a threatening or stressful situation, the body reacts rapidly and prepares for either fight or flight (escape)
• Evolutionary survival mechanism, enabling animals and humans to react quickly to life threatening situations

Question 2

What are the steps this occurs in?

Answer 2

Amygdala
- Recognises threat and sends distress signal to hypothalamus

Hypothalamus
- communicates info through rest of the body through sympathetic NS

Sympathetic NS
- Sends signal to adrenal medulla

Adrenal Medulla
- Releases adrenaline into bloodstream

Adrenaline
- Prompts physiological changes

Question 3

What physiological changes take place when adrenaline is in the bloodstream

Answer 3

• Increased HR
• Faster breathing
• Muscle tension
• Pupil dilation
• Sweat production
• Reduced digestion
• Parasympathetic NS restores or reverts bodily functions to normal