Stress Flashcards
The body responds to all kinds of stress through ___ ____ pathway.
The same
The Adrenal _____ secretes cortisol
Cortex
What does the Adrenal Cortex secrete?
Cortisol
Stress hormone that increases blood & glucose and breaks down protein
Cortisol
What does cortisol do?
Increases blood & glucose and breaks down protein
What is the main stress hormone?
Cortisol
Where is the adrenal gland located?
Above kidneys
The adrenal _____ releases epinephrine and norepinephrine
Medulla
What does the adrenal medulla release?
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Stress response activates the sympathetic nervous system via _____ _____
Hypothalamic control
Physical bodily responses to stress
Increased heart rate, blood flow, and respirations
Too much glucose under long term stress is linked to _____
diabetes
What is the first brain structure activated under stress?
Hypothalamus
What is activated after the hypothalamus under stress?
Pituitary gland
What is activated after the pituitary gland under stress?
Adrenal gland
What is released when the adrenal gland is activated under stress?
Cortisol
Are adrenaline surges addictive?
Yes
What is the scientific term for adrenaline?
Epinephrine
What is significant about cortisol levels as jump days go on for skydiving training?
High at first but leveled out by day 5
What is significant about testosterone levels as jump days go
on for skydiving training?
Low day one, then normal by day 2 and increases with confidence
What is significant about epinephrine levels as jump days go on for skydiving training?
Always a surge
Each time we face our fear, we gain _____, _____, and _____.
strength
courage
confidence
Stress need _____ be physical danger
not
What is the difference in epinephrine levels on a crowded vs normal train?
Surges on crowded trains
What are the two types of stress?
Acute
Chronic
True or False?
Stress makes the brain produce new neurons.
True
During acute stress, the hypothalamus/pituitary stimulate adrenal glands to release which hormones
Epinephrine
Norepinephrine
Cortisol
What is the role of epinephrine and norepinephrine during acute stress?
Get the body ready for stress
Physical effects of epinephrine and norepinephrine release during acute stress.
Increase output from heart and liberate glucose
What is the role of cortisol during acute stress?
Provide sustained release of energy
Boost immune system
What is the purpose of cortisol boosting the immune system during acute stress?
Tissue injury is very likely to occur in instances of danger
During acute stress, epinephrine and norepinephrine effect all _____ with receptors on them.
organs
To produce new neurons, stress hormones stimulate astrocytes to release _____ _____ _____ 2
fibroblast growth factor
What does the release of fibroblast growth factor 2 from astrocytes during stress lead to?
new neurons
True or False?
Stress is never beneficial.
False, acute stress can be
True or False?
Acute stress is necessary for development
True
What happens to trees raised in a sealed biosphere?
They fall over before maturing
Why do trees raised in a sealed biosphere fall over before they mature?
lack of wind, which provides stress and allows them to grow strong enough to support themselves
What hormone stimulates the release of cortisol from the adrenal glands?
ACTH
What does ACTH stand for?
Adrenocorticotropic hormone
Epinephrine/ norepinephrine _____ glucose
release
Acute stress is harmful if _____ _____
too high
Cardiac deaths _____ the day of the LA earthquake
spiked
Heart attacks ____ during the 2006 World Cup in _____
spiked
Germany
What does chronic stress interfere with?
memory
appetite
sexual desire
performance
Chronic stress _____ energy and _____ mood
depletes
disrupts
Chronic stress _____ body inflamation
increases
Chronic stress _____ the immune system
compromises
What diseases are linked to compromised immune systems under chronic stress?
Alzheimer’s
Cardiac diseases
Diabetes
_____ years after 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania, residents had _____ concentration and ____ immune responses.
Six
impaired
low
What does DAMPs stand for?
danger/damage associated molecular patterns
What are DAMPs?
small molecules released by dying cells that activate the immune system to initiate inflammation and tissue repair
chronic stress _____ the immune system
suppresses
At rest, miRNAs _____ _____ DAMPs.
balance out
under acute stress, _____ and _____ cause immune cells to release DAMPs
adrenaline and Norepinephrine
What type of cell releases DAMPs?
immune
_____ are molecules produced during stress
DAMPs
miRNAs ____ DAMPs
inhibit
during which stage of stress is tonic inhibition of inflammation?
at rest
Acute stress is a ___ inflammatory state
pro
What restores balance between DAMPs and miRNAs after stress?
cortisol
What results in low-grade excessive production of DAMPs or a block of miRNAs?
Chronic stress
Chronic stress results from stress response _____
exhaustion
Chronic stress results in _____ grade chronic ______
low
inflammation
Chronic stress results in ____-specific immunosuppression
antigen
stress _____ _____ in our defensive walls
pokes holes
Stress makes your gut _____
leak
Under stress, we revert to our _____ survival brain
primitive
A stressed individual experiences _____ control of thoughts, emotions, and actions
weaker
An unstressed individual experiences _____ control of thoughts, emotions, and actions
tight
Hyperaggressive people have a _____ PFC
weak
What does PFC stand for?
prefrontal cortex
Which neurons are most susceptible to stress?
PFC
road rage happens when the ____ is weakened due to stress
PFC
A trauma/stressor disorder that develops after an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic event
PTSD
What does PTSD stand for?
post-traumatic stress disorder
Examples of re-experiencing in PTSD
flashbacks, nightmares
Individuals with PTSD _____ people or situations associated with the event
avoid
What is an example of hyperarousal symptoms in PTSD?
panic
What are the two treatment methods for PTSD?
Behavioral desensitization
Drugs
What drugs are most used to treat PTSD?
Ecstasy, psilocybin (expected to be approved)
What is an example of behavioral desensitization for PTSD?
“Let me take you back to that time”
In PTSD, the impact often _____ as time moves on
increases
Why is reexperiencing harmful to those with PTSD?
each reiteration makes the memory stronger
PTSD has a __% rate of natural remission by two years
50
treatment means that about __% more people with PTSD recover
20
When is the onset of PTSD symptoms?
a few days after the event
generally, __% PTSD sufferers remain symptomatic for 3 years or longer
33
True or False?
Treatment makes PTSD recovery much faster
False
_____, _____, and _____ are being studied to treat PTSD in the US
ibogaine
ecstasy
psylocibin
What brain areas are most damaged by stress?
frontal cortex and hippocampus
True or False?
The Amygdala is located inside the hippocampus
True
Frontal cortex and hippocampus volume is ____ in combat veterans with PTSD and victims of childhood abuse
reduced
How is generational abuse related to the PFC
Abused children show and grow up with reduced PFC volume
_____ tissue is reduced in torture victims
cortical
Brain damage due to stress is caused by ____
cortisol
Stress-damaged brain tissue perhaps has _____ cortisol receptor sensititvity
increased
What was observed in the brain of a monkey that died of apparent stress?
hippocampal damage (less cells)
Early life stress can result in astrocytes excessively pruning _____ synapses on _____ neurons
excitatory
inhibitory
What can result from excessive pruning from early-life stress?
abnormal neuronal firing
reduced sociability
depressive behavior
Why are introverts more prone to disease?
chronic stress suppresses the immune system
Introverts with HIV have _____ virus titers than extroverts with HIV
higher
Is there a link between introversion and norepinephrine levels?
yes
NE levels are ____ in introverts.
Why is this problematic?
Higher
It blocks the immune system
optimism makes you _____
healthier
flue antibodies _____ more from vaccinations in subjects with high activity in the left hemisphere
increase
Which hemisphere is associated with positive emotions?
left
married adults have _____ cortisol levels
lower
True or false?
Endocannabinoids are good for treating stress
true
chronic stress (_____), _____ 2-AG synthesis
cortisol
impairs
Chronic stress _____ endogenous cannabinoids
impairs
Habituation to stress is due to _____ eCB system activity
increased
Focus in a relaxed, nonjudgmental way on one structured aspect of a situation (e.g., breath, mantra)
meditation
Centering
Meditation
Nonjudgmental awareness and acceptance of the present moment
mindfulness
It is what it is
mindfulness
Being nonjudgmental, compassionate, kind to oneself
and others
lovingkindness
I’m OK, You’re OK
lovingkindness
Practicing right speech, right action, and right livelihood, and doing these things with good intention
morality
Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you
morality
Realizing nothing lasts forever
impermanence
What are the two types of aggression?
reactive
proactive
impulsive, provoked, and emotion aggression
reactive
premeditated, unprovoked, emotionless aggression
proactive aggression
True or False?
The brain has different approaches to each kind of aggression
true
True or False?
Stress may lead to aggression
True
Which type of aggression is associated with behaving recklessly, overreacting to provocation, and sexual primiscuous
reactive
Which type of aggression is less of a stress response?
proactive
Which type of aggression often results from impaired amygdala function?
proactive
Aggressive individuals have ____ amygdalae
smaller
Seizure activity in the amygdala _____ aggression
increases
Murderers have ____ activity of the amygdala and hypothalamus
higher
removing the amygdala reduces aggression in __-__% of patients?
33-100
Suicide is ____ against yourself
aggression
True or False?
The amygdala regulates aggression and the PFC is the main structure associated with aggression
False
The PFC regulates aggression and the amygdala is the main structure associated with aggression
Anger and fear are _____
linked
reducing fear ____ aggression
reduces
Bullies find sadism _____
rewarding
bullying gives bullies _____
dopamine
In aggressive teens, the _____ and _____ become active when they watch pain inflicted on others
amygdala
striatum
True or False?
The amygdala and striatum are linked with feeling good
true
The nucleus accumbens _____ when bullies see pain inflicted on others
surges
Which type of aggression is road rage?
reactive
Which type of aggression is seen in psychopaths?
proactive
In psychopaths, the ____ is either not working at all or never formed
PFC
Which type of aggression was the Boston bombers?
proactive
Sociopaths are _____ of remorse
incapable
True or False?
Sociopaths may commit very violent acts
true
Which type of aggression do sociopaths partake in?
proactive
