l19@psychneuro Flashcards
draw a diagram reflecting the models that affect the biological immune mechanisms
Outside- Social model (support)
Psychological model - (stress, depression, humour, coping, appraisal)
Inside- Biological- (immune system)
what is the PNI
psychoneuroimmunology - how links between emotions and health were part of the pre-modern thought: humoural medicine
(the study of the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease.)
give evidence of PNI
1)classic early study found decreased phagocyte activity in tuberculosis patients when they were emotionally agitated (Ishigami, 1919)
2)substantial empirical evidence to demonstrate and explain links between psychological states and immune function
(two major areas of interest are stress and depression
+ more recent interest in positive emotions)
3)links between immunity (PNI) and endocrinology (PNE)
4)increasing evidence of pathogenic involvement in diseases not previously thought to involve infection and inflammatory processes
(H.pylori implicated in stomach ulcers and MI)
expand on humoural immunity
the 4 humours - blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm - imbalances in these were not just influenced by diseas, but also the emotions
- the sanguine personality is named after the latin for blood
- the melancholic personality is named after the latin words for black and bitter bile
describe the general adaptation syndrome
consists of 3 phases:
- alarm
- resistance
- exhaustion
alarms- body is mobilised against the stressor
Resistance-arousal stays high as body defends / adapts
exhaustion- resources are depleted, resistance may collapse
what is the relationship between stress and immunity
Stress and immunity- when body is threatened body is rapidly aroused and motivated by sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and HPA
can the alarm phase be stitched
yes-Alarm can be switched on and off depending on how large stressor is
If stress is longer, resistance occurs to try and prolong response
Until the exhaustion phase comes in which occurs when resources are depleted
Due to different stressors in present ie money, exams, climate change, the stressors are longer- it isn’t an appropriate response to our psychological stressors
is stress good or bad for the immune system
yes- depending on its duration stress can be good or bad,
Prolonged exposure to stress can be bad- due to exhaustion and depletion of resources
Cortisol production goes up due to HPA axis, causing immune function to go down
why is prolonged stress harmful
it increases the allostatic load
short term: protects -acute
can harm in the long term- chronic
what is the allostatic load
allostatic load refers to the physiological costs of prolonged exposure to fluctuating or elevated neural or endocrine responses
measures of allostatic load include
- decreased cell-mediated immunity
- inability to shut off cortisol in response to stress
- elevated epinephrine levels
- reduces hippocampus volume
what exactly is stress
stress is a negative experience accompanied by predictable changes aimed at altering the stressful event and/or accommodating its effects :
- biochemical
- cognitive
-physiological
-behavioural
what is stress a response to
a stressor and therefore appraisal of stressor is important
evidence for negative effects of stress
-among school children, cortisol levels were generally higher on test days, but they were highest in some children - the ones who care about the test
therefore Response to stress is important and different for everyone depending on outlook on situation
what is the transactional model
there is not a particular leap between stress and stressors
it goes: stressors- primary appraisal- secondary appraisal - stress
Primary appraisal :(outlook)
- positive / negative / neutral?
- harmful / threatening / challenging?
secondary appraisal : (resources)-can coping abilities/resources meet the harm, threat, or challenge?
secondary - can be in a social context
if resources insufficient then it leads to stress
what is the perception/expectation and experience (Keller et al., 2012) model
high amounts of stress and the perception that stress harms health are both associated with poor health and mental health.
- individuals who perceived that stress affects their health and reported a large amount of stress had a significantly increased risk of premature death
what does reactivity refer to
Reactivity refers to autonomic, neuroendocrine, and/or immune responses to stress
- It is thought to reflect a genetically-based disposition.
it may vary depending on the nature of stressors
with a higher reactivity related to worse health outcomes: assessed physiological reactivity (cardiac or immune)
- looked at numbers of stressful events over next 12 weeks (reported by parents)
- correlated with illness rates during same period.
- kids who were more reactive were more likely become ill in response to stress
stress aetiology
men show more reactivity to stress than women
men tend to take longer for their physiological arousal to return to baseline levels once the stressor has ceased
men’s and women’s reactivity varies depending on the type of stressor
- men more reactive when competence is challenged
- women more reactive when friendship/love is challenged (Smith et al. 1998)
what is coping
actions people take to reduce stress.
= processes used to manage perceived discrepancies
between the demands of a situation and their perceived resources
(not all coping mechanisms are directed at solving the problem-some are directed at avoiding the problem )
what are the 2 major models of coping
emotion-focused: includes behavioural and cognitive
problem focused: aimed at: reducing demands of situation and/or
increasing resources to deal with stressful situation
different strategies are better suited for different stressors
what is the problem focused model
e.g. devising (and sticking to) a study schedule, negotiating an extension on bill payment
We tend to use problem-focused coping for situations that are more controllable
Seeking social support can be both emotion-focused and problem focused. Given the range of types of social support, it is clear that social networks can be valuable for coping
what is the emotional focused model
behavioural - e.g. alcohol/drug use, seeking emotional support from friends, engaging in activities that distract attention from the stressful situation (e.g. watching TV)
cognitive - e.g. thinking differently about stressful situations (e.g. I’m better off without him; this experience has helped me to re-evaluate my goals/values)
We tend to use emotion-focused in uncontrollable situations - death of loved one
describe different coping mechanisms and the model they express and effects
emotional :expressive writing-
emotional disclosure enhances mood, immune function, and health
relaxation / self-hypnosis / guided imagery- emotions-
self-hypnosis / guided imagery-
may mute effects of stress on immune system
problem solving and stress management -problem + emotions-
can reduce effects of stress on immune function
physical activity
can reduce effects of stress on cortisol
describe the effects of a social support network
e.g. increased sociability associated in a linear fashion with a decreased
risk of developing cold (Cohen et al., 2003)
high levels of loneliness and small social networks linked to lowest
antibody response to a flu vaccination
effects of social support categorised
direct effects -
via psychosocial influences on endocrine and immune function - i.e. people feel less stressed
indirect effects-
people with better social support are more likely to adhere to medication and more likely to use health services
