Stress and PTSD

Question 1

What is Selye’s definition of stress?

Answer 1

the nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it

Question 2

Distinguish between eustress and distress (3)

Answer 2

Eustress - positive/beneficial stress - short-term - motivates

Distress - negative/harmful stress - long-term - exceeds an individual’s ability to cope

Question 3

What hormones are released during alarm (G.A.S)? (3)
What is their effect? (3)
Which glands release these hormones?

Answer 3

Epinephrine - stimulates SNS
Cortisol - increase blood glucose - more energy
Aldosterone - maintains blood salt and volume

Adrenal glands

Question 4

What happens to the body during resistance (G.A.S)? (3)

Answer 4

Decrease in activity in SNS
Release of cortisol
Body is enabled to maintain alertness

Question 5

What happens to the body during exhaustion (G.A.S)?

Answer 5

Nervous and immune systems no longer have energy to sustain heightened responses

Question 6

What are the 3 stages of general adaptation syndrome (G.A.S)?

Answer 6

1. Alarm
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion

Question 7

Who created General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 7

Hans Selye

Question 8

What were the criticisms for G.A.S? (2)

Answer 8

focuses too much on physiological factors

doesn’t consider individual differences

Question 9

What is Lazarus’s definition of stress?

Answer 9

an imbalance between demands and resources occurring when pressure exceeds one’s perceived ability to cope

Question 10

Which body systems are activated by stress?

Answer 10

Sympathetic nervous system
HPA axis

Question 11

What is the HPA axis made of?

Answer 11

Hypothalamus
Pituitary gland
Adrenal cortex

Question 12

Which body system is the dominant response to prolonged stress?

Answer 12

HPA axis

Question 13

How does the HPA response occur? (4)

Answer 13

1. Hypothalamus controls the pituitary by releasing CRF
2. Anterior pituitary releases ACTH
3. ACTH acts upon the adrenal cortex, which releases cortisol
4. Cortisol increases glucose release

Question 14

What are the effects of cortisol? (4)

Answer 14

elevation of blood glucose levels
improves attention and memory
enhance immune system activity
reduces inflammation

Question 15

What are the effects of prolonged cortisol? (3)

Answer 15

impaired memory
impaired immune system activity
increased resistance to insulin - leads to diabetes type 2

Question 16

How does stress impact the immune system? (2)

Answer 16

Secretion of cytokines increases - triggering release of prostaglandins

Prostaglandins reach the hypothalamus and produce symptoms of illness (sleepiness & fever)

Question 17

How does prolonged stress lead to memory impairment? (2)

Answer 17

Cortisol causes high metabolic activity in the hippocampus

Hippocampus cells become vulnerable, leading to the shrinking of dendrites

Question 18

What hormones are released during a stress response?

Answer 18

1. Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF)
2. Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
3. Cortisol

Question 19

How does the HPA axis affect the hippocampus during prolonged stress? (2)

Answer 19

Cortisol levels are elevated, inducing hippocampal atrophy

cortisol does not inhibit itself, resulting in further elevation of its levels, inducing further hippocampal atrophy

Question 20

Define PTSD (psychological and biological definitions) (2)

Answer 20

a normal response to an abnormal event

a reordering of neural pathways in order to survive

Question 21

What are the criteria for PTSD? (4)

Answer 21

Flashbacks of the event
Nightmares
Avoidance of reminders of the event
Exaggerated arousal to noises

Question 22

What happens to the body when a person has PTSD? (2)

Answer 22

body reacts as though the environment is still threatening

body fails to readjust anxiety levels to moderate, long after returning to safer environment

Question 23

How does PTSD affect the ventromedial PFC and the amygdala? (2)

Answer 23

reduced activity in ventromedial PFC

increased activity in amygdala

Question 24

What role does the amygdala play in PTSD? (2)

Answer 24

stores highly charged emotional memories

becomes very active when there is a traumatic threat

Question 25

What role does the hippocampus play in PTSD? (2)

Answer 25

puts memories into their proper place in our timeline (past/present)

during traumatic threat, the hippocampus becomes suppressed - hence the traumatic event stays a present memory

Question 26

What is an anxiogenic effect?

Answer 26

the aspects of stressors that contribute to increased feelings of anxiety or arousal

Question 27

In which organs does CRF increase due to chronic stress? (2)

What effect does it have?

Answer 27

Cingulate cortex
Amygdala

Anxiogenic effect

Question 28

How does stress induce an anxiogenic effect through GABA?

Answer 28

1. stress decreases GABA activity and sensitivity of GABA receptors
2. reduced activity of GABA neurons leads to overactivity of glutamatergic neurons
3. excitatory activity increases in the amygdala

Question 29

How are brain-derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels affected by stress?

Answer 29

BDNF levels increase, leading to establishing memory for stressful events

Question 30

What are factors that make a person more vulnerable to PTSD? (4)

Answer 30

smaller hippocampus
lower cortisol levels
amygdala reactivity
40% genetics