☆ L10: Guest Lecture ☆

Question 1

How might mindfulness practises help to protect against the negative health implications associated with chronic inflammation?

Answer 1

Decreasing chronic stress
Decreasing inflammation
Buffering against glucocorticoid resistance

Question 2

How do glucocorticoids cause changes in cells?

Answer 2

Glucocorticoids cause changes in cells through binding to glucocorticoid receptors

Question 3

Reducing the number and affinity of glucocorticoid receptor is on cells means less opportunity for binding of glucocorticoid molecules.
This is called glucocorticoid resistance (less binding = less effects on cells; the cells become resistant to the effects of glucocorticoids)

Question 4

With acute stress (normal glucocorticoid levels) glucocorticoids bind to immune cells and inhibit pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling

Answer 4

Chronic stress (heightened glucocorticoid levels) lead to glucocorticoid resistance; a result of glucocorticoid resistance in immune cells is chronic inflammation