Mental Stress

Question 1

What are the vascular reactions to mental stress?(2)

Answer 1

In a healthy participants vasodilation occurs when there is an increase in BP
However there is attenuation of vasodilation in patients with heart failure

Question 2

What are the physiological mechanisms underlying acute stress (4)

Answer 2

Increase in heart rate and blood pressure
Increase in blood viscosity (which increases strain on blood vessels) Increase in inflammation
Increase in coagulation (blood clotting)

Question 3

Georgiades 2000 hypertensive men stress responses (4)

Answer 3

After 6 months of aerobic training
There was a decease in blood pressure responses
And vascular responses
In hypertensive men

Question 4

Stent implementation v exercise by Walther 2008 (4)

Answer 4

Compared exercise with a stent implantation in patients with CAD
There was a reduction in inflammation
And reduction in risk for cardiac events
In comparison to a stent implementation

Question 5

Leor 1996 earthquake study (2)

Answer 5

Found that an earthquake in LA triggered sudden cardiac mortality
The findings suggest that mental stress may have induced cardiac events

Question 6

What did a review by Strike 2003 find on lab stress

Answer 6

Laboratory stress induces ischemia un up to 90% of CAD patients

Question 7

Blumenthal 2005 find in cardiac patients rest/reactivity function (4)

Answer 7

After an exercise training program
There was improvement in vascular function at rest
And improvement in cardiac responses to mental stress
In cardiac patients

Question 8

Palatini 2010 public speaking BP (3)

Answer 8

Found that physically active individuals had attenuated BP responses to a public speaking task
In comparison to sedentary individuals

Question 9

Rimelle 2009 sportsmen stress response (2)

Answer 9

Found that there were lower physiological stress responses in elite sportsmen
In comparison to untrained men

Question 10

Hamer 2007 inflammatory responses (2)

Answer 10

Found physical fitness to be associated with smaller inflammatory responses to acute mental stress
May be one of the mechanism by which PA protects against CV risk

Question 11

Klasperski 2014 exercise program stress response (3)

Answer 11

Found that an endurance training program improved fitness and reduced physiological responses to stress
Whereas there was no change in the control group