Homeostasis - Stress Response

Question 1

What is cortisol?

Answer 1

A glucocorticoid hormone produced and secreted by the adrenal cortex of the adrenal glands.

Question 2

Does cortisol travel to all parts of the body ?

Answer 2

yes

Question 3

When is cortisol secreted and produced ?

Answer 3

When the adrenal glands, specifically the adrenal cortex, are stimulated by ACTH, as part of the HPA axis.

Question 4

During stress……………. the secretion of glucocorticoid hormones (specifically cortisol) reaches ________________,

Answer 4

all tissues, including the brain.

Question 5

Cortisol easily penetrates _______________ and reacts with numerous intracellular _____________ receptors

Answer 5

cell membranes; glucocorticoid

Question 6

True or false. Glucocorticoids exert significant diverse biologic actions.

Answer 6

True, they spare almost no tissue or organ and influence a large proportion of the human genome.

Question 7

What kind of functions do glucocorticoids perform?

Answer 7

They regulate many functions of the CNS, including arousal, sleep, cognition, mood, metabolism, maintenance of cardiovascular tone, the immune and inflammatory reaction and growth and reproduction

Question 8

What is gluconeogenesis?

Answer 8

The formation of glucose from noncarbohydrate sources

Question 9

Cortisol raises ________________, which _______________

Answer 9

blood glucose levels , energizes the body to combat the stressor

Question 10

Cortisol is known as the ______________ hormone.

Answer 10

stress

Question 11

Cortisol alters ______________, fat, and _______________ metabolism.
It also suppresses ______________ and _________ responses

Answer 11

protein; carbohydrate; inflammatory; immune responses

Question 12

Cortisol diverts metabolism from __________________ to _______________ energy for dealing with _________.

Answer 12

building tissues; supplying; stress

Question 13

What causes signs and symptoms of chronic stress?

Answer 13

Cortisol

Question 14

True of false. Glucocorticoids (like cortisol) shrink the thymus and suppress the immune response.

Answer 14

true

Question 15

True or false…..Cortisol counteracts insulin by allowing more circulating glucose

Answer 15

True.Causes hyperglycemia
INCREASES neoglucogenesis in the liver
decreased Peripheral glucose utilization
decreased Glucose uptake by muscle/adipose tissue
This all makes glucose more available to the brain

Question 16

True or false. Chronic exposure to excess cortisol can severely deplete protein stores in muscle, bone, connective tissue and skin.

Answer 16

True. Cortisol acts to increase catabolism in tissues (besides the liver, where it acts to increase rate of protein synthesis) so as to increase levels of circulating amino acids.
This can lead to osteoporosis

Question 17

True or false. Cortisol can cause hyperglycemia.

Answer 17

True

Question 18

Cortisol’s effect on fat metabolism

Answer 18

Lipolysis in extremities and lipogenesis in face and trunk

Question 19

How does cortisol affect the GI tract?

Answer 19

it increases the production of HCl in the stomach, which can potentially lead to gastric ulcers

Question 20

Chronic dysregulation of the HPA axis, especially abnormal elevated levels of cortisol, has been linked to a wide variety of what disorders ?

Answer 20

Obesity, sleep deprivation, lipid abnormalities, hypertension, diabetes, atherosclerosis and loss of bone density

Question 21

What other system is aroused simultaneously with the HPA system during stress?

Answer 21

The sympathetic nervous system

Question 22

The SNS fight or flight response symptoms

Answer 22

increased  Heart rate
increased Respiratory rate
increased Blood pressure
increased Blood glucose
Pupil dilation
Cool skin (peripheral vasoconstriction)
Diaphoresis
decreased Peristalsis
decreased  Urine output