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Questions and Answers

What is a potential outcome of chronic stress on the brain?

Enhanced memory retention

Increased synaptic function

Improved emotional regulation

Brain atrophy (correct)

Which of the following is NOT considered a category of stressors?

Environmental stressors (correct)

Chronic stressors

Acute stressors

Microstressors

How does psychological stress impact diseases?

It can exacerbate symptoms and outcomes. (correct)

It only affects mental illnesses.

It leads to immediate recovery from illnesses.

It has no effect on diseases.

What is meant by 'allostatic load'?

Wear and tear on the body from chronic stress Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following can be a symptom caused by stress?

Nausea Signup and view all the answers

Chronic stress experienced at a young age can lead to what kind of alterations?

Long-term physiological changes Signup and view all the answers

Which factor is critical in a person's perception of stress?

Person's coping abilities Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about stress and health is true?

Chronic stress can lead to alterations in immune function. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the amygdala in the central stress response?

Registration of fear and emotional reactions Signup and view all the answers

What happens to cortisol levels during a stress response?

They are released in correlation with stimulation of the hypothalamus Signup and view all the answers

Which condition is NOT associated with elevated cortisol levels?

Asthma Signup and view all the answers

How does the hypothalamic-pituitary axis respond to stress?

It secretes CRH, which leads to increased cortisol production Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of increased catecholamines on the heart?

Increased strength of myocardial contraction Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of a conditional stress response?

A learned reaction to specific stimuli Signup and view all the answers

Which structure is primarily responsible for handling sensory information in the stress response?

Cerebral cortex Signup and view all the answers

What physiological effect results from increased levels of norepinephrine during stress?

Peripheral artery vasoconstriction Signup and view all the answers

What is one consequence of prolonged elevated cortisol levels?

Inhibition of LH and testosterone production Signup and view all the answers

How does increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system manifest during stress?

Elevation in blood glucose levels Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of sustained high levels of catecholamines?

Inhibition of smooth muscle contraction Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between cortisol and immune function?

Cortisol inhibits immune responses Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a common symptom of increased cortisol levels?

Improved mental clarity Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'reactive' stress response?

Physiological response elicited by immediate stressors Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Stress and Disease Overview

Stress is a condition where demands exceed coping abilities, disrupting cognition, emotion, and behavior.
Psychological stress is a cause or contributing factor in many diseases, including mental illness.
Psychological stress can worsen symptoms and outcomes of various diseases.
Severe emotional stress is linked to poor cardiac health outcomes.
Stressful events often cause insomnia, appetite changes, and physical illness.
Chronic stress accelerates brain aging, reducing synaptic function and causing hippocampal atrophy (leading to memory loss)
Early-life chronic stress can permanently alter physiological, psychological, and behavioral responses to stress.
Animal studies show that brain changes due to chronic stress are irreversible.
Stressors include fear, anxiety, anger, major life events, trauma, abuse, violence, daily hassles, school/work pressures, relationships, caregiving, diseases/illnesses, infections, pain, surgery, lack of sleep, insomnia, malnutrition, prolonged exertion, noise, and extreme temperatures.
A person's interpretation of a situation is crucial to the stress response.

Categories of Stressors

Acute stressors
Chronic stressors
Micro stressors

Concept of Allostatic Load

Allostatic load is the wear and tear on the body from chronic or repeated stress.
It's caused by exposure to various stressors over time, an inability to adapt to repeated stressors, delayed shutdown of the stress response, or inadequate stress response that necessitates compensation from other mediators.
Constant exposure to stress hormones due to allostatic load leads to immune dysfunction, disease acceleration, and brain alteration.

Stress Response Categories

Reactive: Physiological response to stressors
Anticipatory: Physical responses in anticipation of a stressor
Conditional: Learned response to a specific stimulus (danger) and the physiological response.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Develops after an event involving harm or threat, with stress responses triggered by flashbacks.

Central Stress Response

Central stress response involves brain regions, including the cerebral cortex.
Sensory information is perceived in the cortex and relayed to the limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus).
The amygdala registers fear and plays roles in emotion and decision-making.
The hippocampus is central to memory and is situated near the amygdala.
The hypothalamic-pituitary axis receives signals from the amygdala and hippocampus about stress, registering stress and pain. Hypothalamus signals the release of CRH, ACTH, then cortisol.
The sympathetic nervous system is activated by stress and CRH, causing norepinephrine and epinephrine release.
The hypothalamus also stimulates the release of TSH, leading to T3/T4 production.
Paraventricular nucleus stimulation releases ADH and oxytocin from the posterior pituitary.
The brainstem’s locus ceruleus neurons release norepinephrine, increasing brain activity and contributing to the widespread sympathetic stress response.

Negative Effects of Increased Cortisol

Elevated blood glucose levels (insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes)
Impaired immune and inflammatory responses (immunosuppression, infection, cancer, sepsis)
Reduced wound healing
Development of truncal obesity and weight gain (lipogenesis)
Cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), and heart failure.
Inhibition of LH, estradiol, and testosterone (infertility, osteoporosis)
Elevated SNS activity (hypertension, heart failure, kidney disease, atherosclerosis)
Reduced serotonin levels (depression, anxiety)
Promotion of gastric acid and enzyme secretion (peptic ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD))
Increased calcium excretion (kidney stones)
Disrupted sleep cycles (insomnia)

Negative Effects of Increased Catecholamines

Elevated heart rate, myocardial remodeling, and heart failure.
Peripheral artery vasoconstriction (hypertension)
Reduced blood flow to tissues (GI ischemia, ulcers, constipation, bowel obstructions, skin ulcerations).
Elevated blood glucose levels (insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes).
Increased lipolysis, leading to elevated free fatty acids and cholesterol levels (atherosclerosis).
Inhibition of GI smooth muscle, increased sphincter tone (constipation and bowel obstruction).
Impairment of immune and inflammatory responses (immunosuppression, infection, cancer, sepsis).