Stress Flashcards
d: stress reactivity
the way we respond to a stressor.
what are the 5 main areas people stress about?
¤ Health problems
¤ Health problems of others
¤ Job or ability to work problems
¤ Relationships
¤ Finances
by how much (% increase) does stress increase the chances of stroke?
10%
What does HPA stand for?
Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, Adrenal gland
How does HPA axis work?
- Hypothalamus perceives stress so releases CRF
- CRF goes in bloodstream to pituitary gland
- pituitary gland which then produces ACTH
- ACTH is transported to the adrenal glands where cortisol is produced
What is the hypothalamus involved in?
Thermoregulation, Circadian rhythms, Satiety & feeding
what symptom do people get when you stimulate the hypothalamus?
undirected rage
Which 4 hormones does the pituitary gland release and what do they do?
Somatotrophins - Growth
Thyrotrophins - metabolism
Gonadotrophins - fertility
Corticotropins - stress response
How does cortisol affect the body?
Metabolism, Immune system suppression, so too much cortisol:
¤ Rapid weight gain – trunk & face
¤ Acne
¤ Reduced libido or infertility
¤ Thin skin
¤ Chronic tiredness
Too little cortisol leads to…
Addison’s disease - ften caused by adrenal gland failing to produce enough cortisol
¤ Weight loss
¤ Weakness/ lethargy
¤ In some cases an adrenal crisis (low blood pressure, Confusion/ psychosis, loss of consciousness)
What is the Sympathomedullary system?
the adrenaline system, signal moves from Hypothalamus to autonomic nervous system to adrenaline production
What is another term for adrenaline?
norepinephrine
What are the 3 stages of chronic stress?
n Alarm
n Resistance
n Exhaustion
What happens during the alarm stage of stress?
ANS aroused, epinephrine and cortisol released, SNS activated
what is the ANS?
The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiologic processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal
What happens during the resistance stage of stress?
¤ Parasympathetic system returns physiological functions to normal levels
¤ Blood glucose, epinephrine & cortisol all remain high
¤ Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing all increased
What happens during the exhaustion stage of stress?
Stress is beyond the body’s capacity, the stressor depletes the available resources, Loss of ability to adapt to situations, susceptible to illness, and even death
what did the shock-MRI study dhow about dread
some people when forced to wait for a weaker pain, show earlier & more sustained activity in pain network between cue & shock than sooner, stronger pain
What did warnings before shocks do to rat’s long term health?
fewer health difficulties
What did Rodin & Langer (1977) find about control in a care home?
After 1.5 years, group A with greater choice and control were more cheerful, active, alert and half as many had died!
where is noradrenaline primarily released form?
Locus Coeruleus - As a neurotransmitter, NA can enhance formation and retrieval of memory
What effect did the Dutch hunger winter have on foetuses?
¤ Metabolism of foetus has permanent shift - Metabolic imprinting
¤ Afterwards, foetus becomes good at storing consumed food, retaining salt from diet.
How does birthweight correspond to cortisol levels in adults?
The lower the birthweight (adjusted for height), the
higher the basal cortisol levels in adults. Particularly for premature birth.
When a person/animal is stressed as a foetus or post-natally, what are the signs in their amygdala?
greater glucocorticoid receptors
What difference in cortisol did Romanian orphans show compared to Canadian children?
Much higher cortisol levels - greater difference for those who had been in the orphanages longer
Where is adrenaline & noradrenaline released from?
adrenal medulla and brain
When people with a snake phobia chose to have a snake move closer to them and then further away what happened?
hen choosing to let snake closer: amygdala activity was reduced -so it suppressed the amygdala activity to suppress the fear.
This amygdala response shot up again after the snake moved away (less suppression)
Which part of the brain is more responsive to fearful compared to neutral faces?
the amygdala
what difference do people with PTSD show on MRI scans?
Decreased activity in medial prefrontal cortex (PTSD)
What are the bottom up and top down signals for fear regulation?
‘Bottom-up’ signalling from the Amygdala indicates
threats in the environment
top-down’ regulation from the medial pre-frontal cortex prevents this from triggering constant stress-responses
How do stressful events affect memory?
stress improves memory of an event
how does stress effect the hippocampus & in-the-moment memory encoding?
During stress there is LOWER activity in hippocampus during encoding = better memory for those pictures. Poor separation of event info from relevant stimuli may overwhelm hippocampal activity
how does stress and emotion affect memory consolidation?
Stress enhances consolidation of emotional pictures but not for neutral pictures
How does stress affect memory retrieval?
Memory retrieval during stress is impaired
d: cognitive appraisal
the subjective interpretation made by an individual to stimuli in the environment
d: primary appraisal
How relevant is this situation to my needs?
d: secondary appraisal
What resources & options do I have for coping with this event?
what are the 3 types of conflict?
Approach-approach conflict (least stressful): Should I go for dinner with friends, or to cinema with girlfriend
Avoidance-avoidance conflict: Do your homework, or go to bed without dinner
Approach-avoidance conflict: Should I propose (chance of acceptance or rejection
How does procrastination affect stress?
lower stress (generally)
what is successful tickling dependant on?
the element of surprise/unpredictability
does getting a reward or a stimuli telling you you will get a reward give you more dopamine?
a stimuli telling you you will get a reward (anticipation)
how can cortisol trigger dopamine release?
