Week 4 - Stress & Physical Outcomes Flashcards
Fight/flight responses are characterized by _________, while the freeze response is characterized by __________.
Mobility; immobility
What emotions are implicated in the freeze response?
Fear and anxiety
What parts of our autonomic nervous system becomes activated during the freeze response?
Sympathetic –> increased muscle tension, pain suppression
Para sympathetic –> heart rate deceleration, immobilization
What two systems are relevant to the freezing response? Which one is slower and which one is faster?
(1) SAM (Sympathetic Adrenal Medulla) system - faster
(2) HPA (Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal) system - slower
What 3 factors influence whether someone fights, flees, or freezes?
(1) Environmental Factors –> escape routes, distance from predator
(2) Individual differences –> personality, age, etc.
(3) Characteristics of the stressor –> proximal stressors may elicit different reactions (like freezing) than distal (fighting)
What 3 things does the development of PTSD depend on?
(1) experiencing a freeze response (and state of helplessness associated with the threat)
(2) dissociation (experienced during the freeze response)
(3) not being able to stop freezing
Who formulated the concept that prolonged chronic stress could lead to developing specific diseases? What hormone gets released in response to chronic stress that leads to disease? What did he name these types of diseases?
Selye; cortisol gets released; he named it the “disease of stress”
What is the term used for an invasion of the body by a harmful microorganism?
Infection.
Differentiate between disease and illness (sickness)
Disease is a pathological health condition with a recognized pattern of signs and symptoms, while illness/sickness is the unhealthy state that is caused by a disease.
What is the name for the system that is responsible for protecting itself against infections and harmful substances?
Immune system.
Describe antigens and antibodies.
Antigens –> foreign substances and toxins that pose a threat to physical well-being
Antibodies –> protect against antigens by circulating in the bloodstream and binding to antigens to neutralize them; the more we have of antibodies, the better we can be protected against antigens
What are antibodies produced by?
B cells
What is the term for white blood cells? What are they used for?
Leukocytes; they are the immune system’s main defense against infection
What are the two types of antigens?
(1) Exogenous –> external antigens (ie. bacteria and viruses)
(2) Endogenous –> internal antigens (ie. mutated cancer cells)
In general, simple terms, what effect does stress have on one’s immune system? What are the two ways in which this occurs?
weakens the immune system and makes someone more vulnerable to infection. This is due to:
(1) immunosuppression, which is suppression of the immune system’s abilities
(2) modifying the processes in the CNS and neuroendocrine system
What two axes are activated during the flight/flight response (during acute stressors) and what do they release?(
SAM and HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal); they release catecholamines (E & NE) and glucocorticoids (cortisol)
What specific types of catecholamines temporarily boosts immune system function during acute stressors and how?
norepinephrine and epinephrine; they temporarily increases leukocyte activity in the immune system, meaning an increase in immune function
During acute stressors and after E & NE have temporarily boosted immune function, what occurs?
the HPA axis activates and releases glucocorticoid hormones (like cortisol), which induces leukocytes to exit the blood
What is the term used for an impaired immune system that overreacts or underreacts to antigens?
Immune Dysregulation
Define what a sick role is and what secondary gains are.
A sick role is a role that a person may adopt when ill in which they seek help from others.
Secondary gains are rewards associated with adopting a sick role (eg. exam accommodations)
What is the term for a health condition that has a diagnosable pattern, but no known organic cause? Give an example.
A functional syndrome. An example would be Essential Hypertension (HTN), which is high blood pressure.
How does stress affect the cardiovascular system? Describe in terms of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
(1) affects heart rate (sympathetic system would increase heartrate, parasympathetic system would decrease it)
(2) affects blood pressure (sympathetic system would increase blood pressure, parasympathetic system would decrease it)
What type of emotions are closely associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases?
Negative emotions, such as anger & hostility.
What are autoimmune diseases?
Diseases that involve the immune system which fail to discriminate between the self and other, attacking various body systems.
What are the two types of headaches that are associated with stress?
(1) tension-type headache –> head pain accompanied by pain the neck, back and other muscles; associated with proximal stressors, or stress from the recent past
(2) Migraine headaches –> typically felt on one side of head, may be accompanied by nausea; associated with distal stressors, or stress from the distant past
What is the term for the involuntary habit of teeth grinding from stress?
Bruxism
What is the term for the syndrome that is characterized by facial pain when chewing in response to stress?
TMPDS (temporomandibular pain & dysfunction syndrome)
