Stress

Question 1

d: stress reactivity

Answer 1

the way we respond to a stressor.

Question 2

what are the 5 main areas people stress about?

Answer 2

¤ Health problems
¤ Health problems of others
¤ Job or ability to work problems
¤ Relationships
¤ Finances

Question 3

by how much (% increase) does stress increase the chances of stroke?

Answer 3

10%

Question 4

What does HPA stand for?

Answer 4

Hypothalamus, Pituitary gland, Adrenal gland

Question 5

How does HPA axis work?

Answer 5

1. Hypothalamus perceives stress so releases CRF
2. CRF goes in bloodstream to pituitary gland
3. pituitary gland which then produces ACTH
4. ACTH is transported to the adrenal glands where cortisol is produced

Question 6

What is the hypothalamus involved in?

Answer 6

Thermoregulation, Circadian rhythms, Satiety & feeding

Question 7

what symptom do people get when you stimulate the hypothalamus?

Answer 7

undirected rage

Question 8

Which 4 hormones does the pituitary gland release and what do they do?

Answer 8

Somatotrophins - Growth
Thyrotrophins - metabolism
Gonadotrophins - fertility
Corticotropins - stress response

Question 9

How does cortisol affect the body?

Answer 9

Metabolism, Immune system suppression, so too much cortisol:
¤ Rapid weight gain – trunk & face
¤ Acne
¤ Reduced libido or infertility
¤ Thin skin
¤ Chronic tiredness

Question 10

Too little cortisol leads to…

Answer 10

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)

Question 11

What is the Sympathomedullary system?

Answer 11

the adrenaline system, signal moves from Hypothalamus to autonomic nervous system to adrenaline production

Question 12

What is another term for adrenaline?

Answer 12

norepinephrine

Question 13

What are the 3 stages of chronic stress?

Answer 13

n Alarm
n Resistance
n Exhaustion

Question 14

What happens during the alarm stage of stress?

Answer 14

ANS aroused, epinephrine and cortisol released, SNS activated

Question 15

what is the ANS?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

What happens during the resistance stage of stress?

Answer 16

¤ Parasympathetic system returns physiological functions to normal levels
¤ Blood glucose, epinephrine & cortisol all remain high
¤ Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing all increased

Question 17

What happens during the exhaustion stage of stress?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

what did the shock-MRI study dhow about dread

Answer 18

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

Question 19

What did warnings before shocks do to rat’s long term health?

Answer 19

fewer health difficulties

Question 20

What did Rodin & Langer (1977) find about control in a care home?

Answer 20

After 1.5 years, group A with greater choice and control were more cheerful, active, alert and half as many had died!

Question 21

where is noradrenaline primarily released form?

Answer 21

Locus Coeruleus - As a neurotransmitter, NA can enhance formation and retrieval of memory

Question 22

What effect did the Dutch hunger winter have on foetuses?

Answer 22

¤ Metabolism of foetus has permanent shift - Metabolic imprinting
¤ Afterwards, foetus becomes good at storing consumed food, retaining salt from diet.

Question 23

How does birthweight correspond to cortisol levels in adults?

Answer 23

The lower the birthweight (adjusted for height), the
higher the basal cortisol levels in adults. Particularly for premature birth.

Question 24

When a person/animal is stressed as a foetus or post-natally, what are the signs in their amygdala?

Answer 24

greater glucocorticoid receptors

Question 25

What difference in cortisol did Romanian orphans show compared to Canadian children?

Answer 25

Much higher cortisol levels - greater difference for those who had been in the orphanages longer

Question 26

Where is adrenaline & noradrenaline released from?

Answer 26

adrenal medulla and brain

Question 27

When people with a snake phobia chose to have a snake move closer to them and then further away what happened?

Answer 27

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)

Question 28

Which part of the brain is more responsive to fearful compared to neutral faces?

Answer 28

the amygdala

Question 29

what difference do people with PTSD show on MRI scans?

Answer 29

Decreased activity in medial prefrontal cortex (PTSD)

Question 30

What are the bottom up and top down signals for fear regulation?

Answer 30

‘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

Question 31

How do stressful events affect memory?

Answer 31

stress improves memory of an event

Question 32

how does stress effect the hippocampus & in-the-moment memory encoding?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

how does stress and emotion affect memory consolidation?

Answer 33

Stress enhances consolidation of emotional pictures but not for neutral pictures

Question 34

How does stress affect memory retrieval?

Answer 34

Memory retrieval during stress is impaired

Question 35

d: cognitive appraisal

Answer 35

the subjective interpretation made by an individual to stimuli in the environment

Question 36

d: primary appraisal

Answer 36

How relevant is this situation to my needs?

Question 37

d: secondary appraisal

Answer 37

What resources & options do I have for coping with this event?

Question 38

what are the 3 types of conflict?

Answer 38

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

Question 39

How does procrastination affect stress?

Answer 39

lower stress (generally)

Question 40

what is successful tickling dependant on?

Answer 40

the element of surprise/unpredictability

Question 41

does getting a reward or a stimuli telling you you will get a reward give you more dopamine?

Answer 41

a stimuli telling you you will get a reward (anticipation)

Question 42

how can cortisol trigger dopamine release?