Hormones and Behaviour Quiz

Hormones and Behaviour

• Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate physiology and behaviour
• Hormones are secreted by glands and travel through the circulatory system to target organs
• Estrogen levels fluctuate in normally cycling women, impacting motivation and income
• Women on oral contraceptives experience less fluctuation in motivation and earn less than those with fluctuating motivation

Sex Hormones and Oral Health

• Female sex hormones can enhance the connection between plaque and gingivitis
• Approximately 40% of women experience gingivitis during pregnancy, mainly due to increased progesterone levels
• Pregnant women with chronic gum disease have a significantly higher risk of premature delivery
• Female risk factors for oral health issues include puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)

• These conditions arise from prenatal alcohol exposure
• The severity of FASD is influenced by the timing and duration of alcohol exposure during pregnancy
• Alcohol is a teratogen, meaning it negatively affects prenatal development
• FAS is the most severe form of FASD and can cause physical abnormalities, cognitive impairments, and behavioural disorders
• FASD affects a range of developmental areas including general cognitive impairment, mental retardation, impaired motor coordination, attention, memory, language, and behaviour

Stress: Physiology, Correlates, and Consequences

• The nervous system is organised into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
• The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord while the PNS includes all other nerves
• The somatic nervous system is part of the PNS and controls voluntary movements
• The autonomic nervous system is part of the PNS and controls involuntary functions like breathing and heart rate

Theories of Learning

• Learning is defined as a long-term change in behaviour based on experience
• Learning can be conscious or subconscious and can influence how people behave in a clinical setting
• Classical conditioning, also known as Pavlovian conditioning, involves associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to trigger a conditioned response
• Operant conditioning uses reinforcement or punishment to either increase or decrease a behaviour
• Reinforcement can be positive (adding a desirable stimulus) or negative (removing an undesirable stimulus)
• Punishment can also be positive (adding an undesirable stimulus) or negative (removing a desirable stimulus)

4P Factor Model

• The model helps understand and address various health behaviours and symptoms by looking at four factors : predisposing, precipitating, perpetuating, and protective
• Predisposing factors contribute to vulnerability to a behaviour or symptom
• Precipitating factors trigger the onset of a behaviour or symptom
• Perpetuating factors maintain the behaviour or symptom
• Protective factors help reduce or prevent the re-occurrence of a behaviour or symptom
• This model can be applied to various health issues, such as diabetes, where genetics predispose, high sugar consumption precipitates, a sedentary lifestyle perpetuates, and access to quality health care protects

Classical Conditioning Summary

• Classical conditioning is the learning process of associating two stimuli to produce a new learnt response
• The unconditioned stimulus triggers an automatic response, the unconditioned response
• The neutral stimulus initially has no response but becomes the conditioned stimulus after being paired with the unconditioned stimulus
• The conditioned response is the learnt response to the conditioned stimulus, often similar to the unconditioned response
• Extinction is the unlearning of the pairing between the conditioned stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus through repeated exposure without the unconditioned stimulus
• Generalisation involves responding to similar stimuli in the same way as the conditioned stimulus

Operant Conditioning

• Operant conditioning is the use of reinforcement or punishment to increase or decrease a behaviour
• Positive reinforcement involves adding a positive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again
• Positive punishment involves adding a negative stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again
• Negative reinforcement involves removing a negative stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again
• Negative punishment involves removing a positive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behaviour occurring again
• For rewards to be effective in operant conditioning, they must be personally meaningful, and timing is crucial

Epidemiology of Anxiety

• Anxiety disorders are prevalent, with a lifetime prevalence of 28.8%
• Women experience higher rates of anxiety than men
• Trauma and life events, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, and unemployment, are common risk factors for anxiety

Generic Aetiology

• Risk factors for anxiety disorders include genetics, stressful events, low education, physical health problems, substance use, and personality factors
• Panic disorder is characterized by recurrent panic attacks, anxiety about future panic attacks, worry about the consequences of panic attacks, and avoidance behaviour
• A panic attack involves an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that peaks within minutes

Panic Attacks

• Panic attacks are characterized by at least four of the following symptoms: palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking sensation, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, chills, numbness, derealization, fear of losing control, fear of dying, and feeling lightheaded
• The trigger for the first panic attack is often a physical shift in the body like a change in blood pressure, blood sugar, hormone levels, or drug effects
• While panic attacks can be frightening, it's crucial to remain calm and supportive. Remember that there is an overlap between the symptoms of panic attacks and heart attacks, so seek immediate medical help if you suspect a heart attack.

Explore the complex relationships between hormones and behavior through this quiz. Understand how hormonal fluctuations impact motivation, particularly in women, and learn about the implications of sex hormones on oral health. Dive into the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and its relation to developmental disorders.