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SK299 > Stress > Flashcards

Stress Flashcards

1
Q

What is the generalised definition of stress?

A

The body’s method of reacting to a condition such as a threat, challenge or physical and psychological barrier

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2
Q

What is the definition of acute stress?

How long does it usually last?

A
  • Stress which arises in response to short-term trauma or threat
  • Minutes to hours
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3
Q

What is the definition of chronic stress?

How long does it usually last?

A
  • A prolonged response to a stressor or emotional situation that involves the sustained release of cortisol
  • Weeks to months
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4
Q

Which part of the nervous system does acute stress activate?

A

The sympathetic nervous system

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5
Q

What is the biological definition of stress?

A

Physiological changes, including the release of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin, and an increase in heart rate, which are brought about by the perception of a threat or challenge

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6
Q

What are some of the physical symptoms of stress?

A
  • Dilated pupils
  • Dry mouth
  • Faster heart rate
  • Faster respiratory rate
  • Urge to urinate
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7
Q

How is stress considered in the context of homeostasis?

A
  • Stressors are anything which knock you out of homeostatic balance
  • The stress response is anything your body does to try and restore that balance
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8
Q

How long do the neurally mediated and hormonally mediated responses to stress take?

A
  • Neurally-mediated short-term response within minutes

* Hormonally medium-term response within hours

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9
Q

Which group of neurotransmitters drive the neurally-mediated part of the stress response?

A

Catecholamines (dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenalin)

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10
Q

Which corticosteroid drives the hormonally mediated stress response?

A

Glucocorticoid

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11
Q

What is noradrenalin also known as?

A

Norepinephrine

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12
Q

What are catecholamines?

A

A group of neurotransmitters associated with the sympathetic nervous system

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13
Q

What are the neurotransmitters which are considered to be catecholamines?

A
  • Dopamine
  • Adrenaline
  • Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
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14
Q

When a stressor is perceived, which part of the brain is responsible for the release of adrenalin?

A

The adrenal medulla

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15
Q

Where is noradrenaline released from?

A

Sympathetic nerve endings throughout the body

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16
Q

What are glucocorticoids?

A

A class of steroid hormones that includes corticosteroids such as cortisol

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17
Q

What effect does cortisol have on energy in the body?

A

It increases blood glucose, fatty acid and amino acid levels

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18
Q

Name the two hormones involved in cortisol regulation

A
  • Corticotrophin-releasing hormone

* Adrenocorticotropic hormone

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19
Q

Where is CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) released from?

A

The hypothalamus

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20
Q

What does CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone) stimulate the release of and where does that hormone get released from?

A
  • Adrenocorticotropic hormone

* The anterior pituitary

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21
Q

What does ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) do?

A

It targets the cells of the adrenal cortex to release cortisol

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22
Q

Are hormonal responses to stressors quick to occur?

A

No, they can take hours from the point of exposure to the stressor

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23
Q

What systems within the body does acute stress have an effect on, and what can some of those effects be?

A
  • Change the cardiovascular system - increase heart rate/contractility
  • Metabolism - increased blood levels of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids
  • Cognition - changes in perception/memory
  • Pain perception - perception of pain is diminished
  • Immune system - short term enhancement
  • Reproductive system - decreased production of reproductive hormone
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24
Q

Which areas of the heart are innervated by the sympathetic nervous system?

A

The sinoatrial and ventricular nodes

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25
Q

What happens to activity in the parasympathetic nervous system when there is an increase in activity in the sympathetic nervous system?

A

It decreases

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26
Q

Where in the brain do neural signals to the sympathetic system originate?

A

The medulla oblongata, which is in the brain stem

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27
Q

Which part/s of the heart does noradrenalin act on? What is its effect?

A
  • The sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodes

* Increases heart rate

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28
Q

Which parts of the heart does noradrenalin act on in order to increase contractility?

A

Muscle cells of the ventricles and atria

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29
Q

Blood vessels in which areas of the body suffer vasodilation in response to stress?

A
  • Skeletal muscle
  • Brain
  • Lungs
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30
Q

Blood vessels in which areas of the body suffer vasoconstriction in response to stress?

A
  • Skin and mucosa
  • Kidneys
  • Digestive organs
  • Reproductive organs
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31
Q

What is the purpose of vasodilation in response to stress?

A

To deliver more glucose and oxygen to the organs most vital for physical activity

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32
Q

What type of hormone is cortisol?

A

A corticosteroid

33
Q

Where in the body is cortisol synthesised?

A

The adrenal cortex of the adrenal glands

34
Q

What does cortisol stimulate the breakdown of and why?

A
  • Glucose, amino acids and fatty acids

* In order to provide energy for work in the form of ATP

35
Q

In response to stress, what happens to blood flow to the frontal cortex area of the brain?

A

It decreases

36
Q

In response to stress, what happens to blood flow to the amygdala?

A

It increases

37
Q

What is hypoalgesia?

A

A decrease in pain sensitivity

38
Q

Why does stress decrease pain sensitivity?

A

Due to the release of certain neurotransmitters

39
Q

Which neurotransmitters help reduce the sensation of pain during times of stress?
What is the name for this group of neurotransmitters?

A
  • Endorphins
  • Enkephalins
  • Dynorphins
  • Endogenous opioids
40
Q

What effect can long-term stress have on pain?

A

It can induce hyperalgesia - a general increase in pain sensitivity

41
Q

Which components of the immune system have enhanced activity as a response to stress?

A
  • Dendritic cells
  • Neutrophils
  • Macrophages
  • Lymphocytes
  • Cytokines
42
Q

What is the general effect of stress to the immune system?

A

To increase activity and signalling amongst immune system cells

43
Q

Where is the most common site for Cushing’s Syndrome?

A

The anterior pituitary gland

44
Q

What are the main symptoms of Addison’s disease?

A
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Hypoglycaemia
  • Low mood
  • Increased thirst
  • Lack of tolerance to stress
45
Q

What effect is chronic stress likely to have on the immune system?

A
  • Lower resistance to infection
  • Slower wound healing
  • Lower efficacy of vaccination
46
Q

What effect is acute stress likely to have on the immune system?

A
  • Boosts efficacy of vaccination
  • Increases wound healing
  • Increases resistance to infection
48
Q

What effect does chronic stress have on blood pressure?

A

It elevates it

49
Q

What is ideal blood pressure in a healthy adult?

A

120/80 mmHg

50
Q

Why would people with high stress levels tend to have high concentrations of fatty acids in their blood?

A

Because the cortisol response causes fatty acids to be released from adipocytes in order to provide energy

51
Q

What are the possible consequences of atherosclerotic plaques building up in coronary (vessels which provide blood to the heart) arteries?

A
  • Angina pectoris

* Myocardial infarction

52
Q

What are atherosclerotic plaques?

A

Deposits of fat, fibrin, cellular debris and calcium salts on the inside of arterial walls

53
Q

What are the effects of chronic stress on the amygdala?

What is the outcome of these effects?

A
  • Increases the activity and number of neural connections

* Heightens fear response

54
Q

What effect does increased cortisol levels have on the hippocampus?
What is the outcome of this effect?

A
  • Electrical signals deteriorate
  • Activity of HPA axis deteriorates
  • Deterioration in memory, learning and stress control
55
Q

What are the physiological effects of stress on your brain?

A
  • Shrinks your prefrontal cortex

* Loss of synaptic connections

56
Q

What does the pre-frontal cortex regulate?

A
  • Concentration
  • Decision making
  • Judgement
  • Social interaction
57
Q

Where in the brain are new brain cells made?

What effect does chronic stress have on this process?

A
  • The hippocampus

* Fewer new brain cells are made

58
Q

Which cellular part of the brain is most affected by stress?

A

Dendrites (short projections on a cell body which receive incoming information from other neurons)

59
Q

How can stress cause gastritis?

A

Due to H. Pylori infection causing inflammation of the stomach

60
Q

What are the physical changes in the stomach caused by H.Pylori?

A

Slowing down of the replacement of epithelial cells, which causes thinning of the stomach’s mucous membrane

61
Q

Which reproductive hormones does stress reduce the production of?

A
  • Testosterone
  • Oestrogen
  • Progesterone
62
Q

Which part of your brain is activated in response to stress?

A

The HPA axis

63
Q

Erection is mediated by which branch of the nervous system?

A

The parasympathetic nervous system

64
Q

Ejaculation is mediated by which branch of the nervous system?

A

The sympathetic nervous system

65
Q

Erectile dysfunction is linked to insufficient activity of which part of the nervous system?

A

The parasympathetic nervous system

66
Q

Premature ejaculation is linked to dysfunction of which part of the nervous system?

A

The sympathetic nervous system

67
Q

How do activities of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system tend to be related?

A

Inversely

68
Q

What part of the chromosome is affected, and how, in people suffering with chronic stress?

A
  • Telomeres

* Shortened

69
Q

What are telomeres?

A

Non-coding, repetitive sequences at the ends of chromosomes that protect the ends of the chromosome from ‘fraying’

70
Q

What are nucleotides?

What do they consist of?

A
  • Building blocks of DNA

* Phosphate, a sugar, a base

71
Q

How does stress affect the menstrual cycle?

A

Cycles tend to become longer and less regular, in extreme cases they can stop altogether

72
Q

What is epigenetics?

A

Modifications of DNA which don’t change the code but do change the pattern of gene expression

73
Q

What are histones?

A

Protein clusters which DNA is wrapped around

74
Q

Can epigenetic marks be inherited?

How far can that inheritance be transmitted?

A
  • Yes

* Several generations, maybe even over tens of generations

75
Q

What are the ways we can mediate or manage stress?

A
  • Mindfulness
  • Meditation
  • Social support
  • Exercise
  • Learning coping strategies
76
Q

What effect does exercise have at a cellular level in the brain?

A
  • Induces production of growth factors

* Stimulates the production of new brain cells

77
Q

What is chromatin?

A

The combination of histone and DNA

78
Q

Which body systems does stress affect?

A
  • Cardiovascular system
  • Metabolism
  • Cognitive function
  • Reproductive hormones
  • Pain perception
  • The immune system
79
Q

What are the bodily dysfunctions which chronic stress is linked to?

A
  • Immunosuppression/dysregulation
  • Heart disease
  • Cognitive impairment
  • Gastrointestinal disease
  • Obesity
  • Reproductive impairments
80
Q

What is the name of the growth factor which is stimulated in the brain by exercise?

A

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor

SK299 (15 decks)

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