Health Psy: mod 2 terms Flashcards
1
Q
What is acetylcholine?
A
One of the major neurotransmitters of the autonomic nervous system.
2
Q
What is the adrenal cortex?
A
The outer layer of the adrenal glands; secretes glucocorticoids.
3
Q
What are adrenal glands?
A
Endocrine glands located on top of each kidney that secrete hormones and affect metabolism.
4
Q
What is the adrenal medulla?
A
The inner layer of the adrenal glands; secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine.
5
Q
What is the adrenocortical response?
A
The response of the adrenal cortex, prompted by ACTH, that results in the release of glucocorticoids, including cortisol.
6
Q
What is adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)?
A
A hormone produced by the anterior portion of the pituitary gland that acts on the adrenal gland and is involved in the stress response.
7
Q
What is the adrenomedullary response?
A
The response of the adrenal medulla, prompted by sympathetic nervous system activation, that results in the release of epinephrine.
8
Q
What is the alarm reaction?
A
The first stage of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), in which the body’s defenses are mobilized against a stressor.
9
Q
What is allostasis?
A
The concept in which different circumstances require different levels of physiological activation.
10
Q
What is allostatic load?
A
The term refers to the ‘wear and tear’ of the body due to prolonged activation of physiological stress responses.
11
Q
What is the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?
A
The part of the peripheral nervous system that primarily serves internal organs.
12
Q
What are catecholamines?
A
A class of chemicals containing epinephrine and norepinephrine.
13
Q
What is catharsis?
A
The spoken or written expression of strong negative emotion, which may result in improvement in physiological or psychological health.
14
Q
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
A
All the neurons within the brain and spinal cord.
15
Q
What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)?
A
A type of therapy that aims to develop beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, and skills to make positive changes in behavior.
16
Q
What is coping?
A
Strategies that individuals use to manage the distressing problems and emotions in their lives.
17
Q
What is cortisol?
A
A type of glucocorticoid that provides a natural defense against inflammation and regulates carbohydrate metabolism.
18
Q
What are daily hassles?
A
Everyday events that people experience as harmful, threatening, or annoying.
19
Q
What is emotional disclosure?
A
A therapeutic technique whereby people express their strong emotions by talking or writing about the events that precipitated them.
20
Q
What is emotion-focused coping?
A
Coping strategies oriented toward managing the emotions that accompany the perception of stress.
21
Q
What is the endocrine system?
A
The system of the body consisting of ductless glands.
22
Q
What is epinephrine?
A
A chemical manufactured by the adrenal medulla that accounts for much of the hormone production of the adrenal glands; sometimes called adrenaline.
23
Q
What is the exhaustion stage?
A
The final stage of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), in which the body’s ability to resist a stressor has been depleted.
24
Q
What are hormones?
A
Chemical substances released into the blood and having effects on other parts of the body.
25
What is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis?
A set of signals and relationships that exist among the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands.
26
What are life events?
Major events in a person’s life that require change or adaptation.
27
What is the neuroendocrine system?
Those endocrine glands that are controlled by and interact with the nervous system.
28
What are neurons?
Nerve cells.
29
What are neurotransmitters?
Chemicals that are released by neurons and that affect the activity of other neurons.
30
What is norepinephrine?
One of two major neurotransmitters of the autonomic nervous system.
31
Who are optimists?
People who have a positive outlook on life and expect good things to happen to them.
32
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
A division of the autonomic nervous system that promotes relaxation and functions under normal, nonstressful conditions.
33
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
The nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord.
34
What is personal control?
Confidence that people have in their ability to control the events that shape their lives.
35
What is the pituitary gland?
An endocrine gland that lies within the brain and whose secretions regulate many other glands.
36
What is population density?
A physical condition in which a large population occupies a limited space.
37
What is primary appraisal?
One’s initial appraisal of a potentially stressful event.
38
What is problem-focused coping?
Coping strategies aimed at changing the source of the stress.
39
What is reappraisal?
One’s nearly constant reevaluation of stressful events.
40
What is the resistance stage?
The second stage of the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), in which the body adapts to a stressor.
41
What is secondary appraisal?
One’s perceived ability to control or cope with harm, threat, or challenge.
42
What are social contacts?
Number and kinds of people with whom one associates; members of one’s social network.
43
What is social isolation?
The absence of specific role relationships.
44
What is a social network?
The number and kinds of people with whom one associates; social contacts.
45
What is the somatic nervous system?
The part of the PNS that serves the skin and voluntary muscles.
46
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
A division of the autonomic nervous system that mobilizes the body’s resources in emergency, stressful, and emotional situations.
47
What is the synaptic cleft?
The space between neurons.
48
What is urban press?
The many environmental stressors that affect city living, including noise, crowding, crime, and pollution.
49
What is acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)?
An immune deficiency caused by viral infection and resulting in vulnerability to a wide range of bacterial, viral, and malignant diseases.
50
What are allergies?
Immune system responses characterized by an abnormal reaction to a foreign substance.
51
What are antibodies?
Protein substances produced in response to a specific invader or antigen, marking it for destruction and thus creating immunity to that invader.
52
What are antigens?
Substances that provoke the immune system to produce antibodies.
53
What are autoimmune diseases?
Disorders that occur as a result of the immune system’s failure to differentiate between body cells and foreign cells, resulting in the body’s attack and destruction of its own cells.
54
What are B-cells?
The type of lymphocytes that attacks invading microorganisms.
55
What are cytokines?
Chemical messengers secreted by cells in the immune system, forming a communication link between the nervous and immune system.
56
What is the diathesis–stress model?
A theory of stress that suggests that some individuals are vulnerable to stress-related illnesses because they are genetically predisposed to those illnesses.
57
What are granulocytes?
A type of lymphocytes that acts rapidly to kill invading organisms.
58
What is immunity?
A response to foreign microorganisms that occurs with repeated exposure and results in resistance to a disease.
59
What is inflammation?
A general immune system response that works to restore damaged tissue.
60
What is a lymph node?
Small nodules of lymphatic tissue spaced throughout the lymphatic system that help clean lymph of debris.
61
What is lymph?
Tissue fluid that has entered a lymphatic vessel.
62
What is the lymphatic system?
System that transports lymph through the body.
63
What are lymphocytes?
A response to foreign microorganisms that occurs with repeated exposure and results in resistance to a disease.
64
What are macrophages?
A type of lymphocytes that attacks invading organisms.
65
What are natural killer (NK) cells?
The type of lymphocytes that attacks invading organisms.
66
What is phagocytosis?
The process of engulfing and killing foreign particles.
67
What are plasma cells?
Cells, derived from B-cells, that secrete antibodies.
68
What is a proinflammatory cytokine?
A chemical secreted by the immune system that promotes inflammation, and is associated with feelings of sickness, depression, and social withdrawal.
69
What is psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)?
A multidisciplinary field that focuses on the interactions among behavior, the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune system.
70
What is the spleen?
A large organ near the stomach that serves as a repository for lymphocytes and red blood cells.
71
What are T-cells?
The cells of the immune system that produce immunity.
72
What is a telomere?
A region at the end of a chromosome where repetitive nucleotide sequences appear acting as a protective cap and preventing chromosomes from deterioration.
73
What is thymosin?
A hormone produced by the thymus.
74
What is the thymus?
An organ located near the heart that secretes thymosin and thus processes and activates T-cells.
75
What are tonsils?
Masses of lymphatic tissue located in the pharynx.
76
What are A-beta fibers?
Large sensory fibers involved in rapidly transmitting sensation and possibly in inhibiting the transmission of pain.
77
What is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)?
A type of therapy that teaches people to notice and accept unwanted thoughts and feelings, while also committing to valued goals and activities.
78
What is acute pain?
Short-term pain that results from tissue damage or other trauma.
79
What are A-delta fibers?
Small sensory fibers that are involved in the experience of 'fast' pain.
80
What are afferent neurons?
Sensory neurons that relay information from the sense organs toward the brain.
81
What are analgesic drugs?
Drugs that decrease the perception of pain.
82
What is behavior modification?
Shaping behavior by manipulating reinforcement in order to obtain a desired behavior.
83
What are C fibers?
Small-diameter nerve fibers that provide information concerning slow, diffuse, and lingering pain.
84
What is the central control trigger?
A nerve impulse that descends from the brain and influences the perception of pain.
85
What is chronic pain?
Pain that endures beyond the time of normal healing; frequently experienced in the absence of detectable tissue damage.
86
What is chronic recurrent pain?
Alternating episodes of intense pain and no pain.
87
What is a cluster headache?
A type of severe headache that occurs in daily clusters for 4 to 16 weeks. Symptoms are similar to migraine, but duration is much briefer.
88
What is cognitive therapy?
A type of therapy that aims to change attitudes and beliefs, assuming that behavior change will follow.
89
What are dorsal horns?
The part of the spinal cord away from the stomach that receives sensory input and that may play an important role in the perception of pain.
90
What are efferent neurons?
Motor neurons that convey impulses away from the brain.
91
What are endorphins?
Naturally occurring neurochemicals whose effects resemble those of the opiates.
92
What is fibromyalgia?
A chronic pain condition characterized by tender points throughout the body; this condition produces symptoms of fatigue, headache, cognitive difficulties, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.
93
What is gate control theory?
A theory of pain holding that structures in the spinal cord act as a gate for sensory input that is interpreted as pain.
94
What are interneurons?
Neurons that connect sensory neurons to motor neurons; association neurons.
95
What are laminae?
Layers of cell bodies.
96
What is the medulla?
The structure of the hindbrain just above the spinal cord.
97
What are migraine headaches?
Recurrent headaches originally believed to be caused by constriction and dilation of the vascular arteries but now accepted as involving neurons in the brain stem.
98
What is mindfulness?
Quality of awareness that is brought about by focusing on the present moment and accepting the thoughts in a non-judgmental manner.
99
What is myelin?
A fatty substance that acts as insulation for neurons.
100
What is nociception?
The process wherein sensory nerve cells are stimulated in response to harmful stimuli resulting in the perception of pain.
101
What are nociceptors?
Sensory receptors in the skin and organs that are capable of responding to various types of stimulation that may cause tissue damage.
102
What are nonnarcotic analgesics?
Drugs that help in relieving pain without causing loss of consciousness and comprises of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen.
103
What are opiate painkillers?
Substances such as morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone that help relieve pain.
104
What is osteoarthritis?
Progressive inflammation of the joints.
105
What is the periaqueductal gray?
An area of the midbrain that, when stimulated, decreases pain.
106
What is phantom limb pain?
The experience of chronic pain in an absent body part.
107
What are positive reinforcers?
Positively valued stimuli that, when added to a situation, strengthens the behavior it follows.
108
What is pre chronic pain?
Pain that endures beyond the acute phase but has not yet become chronic.
109
What are primary afferents?
Sensory neurons that convey impulses from the skin to the spinal cord.
110
What is referred pain?
Pain perceived at a place that is different from the place of the stimulus. Visceral pain is often referred to sites on the skin.
111
What is the somatosensory cortex?
The part of the brain that receives and processes sensory input from the body.
112
What is the substantia gelatinosa?
Two layers of the dorsal horns of the spinal cord.
113
What is a syndrome?
A cluster of symptoms that characterize a particular condition.
114
What are tension headaches?
Pain produced by sustained muscle contractions in the neck, shoulders, scalp, and face, as well as by activity in the central nervous system.
115
What is the thalamus?
Structure in the forebrain that acts as a relay center for incoming sensory information and outgoing motor information.
116
What is transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)?
Treatment for pain involving electrical stimulation of neurons from the surface of the skin.
117
What is acupressure?
The application of pressure rather than needles to the points used in acupuncture.
118
What is acupuncture?
An ancient Chinese form of analgesia that consists of inserting needles into specific points on the skin and continuously stimulating the needles.
119
What is alternative medicine?
A group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not currently considered part of conventional medicine and are used as alternatives to conventional treatment.
120
What is Ayurveda?
A system of medicine that originated in India more than 2,000 years ago; it emphasizes the attainment of health through balance and connection with all things in the universe.
121
What is biofeedback?
The process of providing feedback information about the status of a biological system to that system.
122
What is electromyograph (EMG) biofeedback?
Feedback that reflects activity of the skeletal muscles.
123
What is induction?
The process of being placed into a hypnotic state.
124
What is integrative medicine?
The approach to treatment that attempts to integrate techniques from both conventional and alternative medicine.
125
What is Raynaud’s disease?
A vasoconstrictive disorder characterized by inadequate circulation in the extremities, especially the fingers or toes, resulting in pain.
126
What is thermal biofeedback?
Feedback concerning changes in skin temperature.
127
What is a thermistor?
A temperature-sensitive resistor used in thermal biofeedback.
