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Questions and Answers
What term describes the body's ability to maintain stability through change in response to stress?
What triggers the release of cortisol during the stress response?
Which of the following conditions can be linked to abnormal elevations of cortisol?
What is the primary effect of catecholamines on the cardiovascular system during stress?
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What physiological response is primarily regulated by the sympathetic nervous system during stress?
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What negative health outcome can result from allostatic overload?
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Cortisol plays a role in gluconeogenesis. What does this process involve?
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During stress, which substance causes blood to be shunted to essential organs such as the heart and brain?
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The parasympathetic nervous system primarily functions to:
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How does increased cortisol during stress affect the immune system?
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Study Notes
Stress
- Defined as a perceived or anticipated threat that disrupts an individual's well-being or homeostasis.
- Originates from various stimuli, including psychological (fear, social rejection), physical (temperature changes, abuse), and physiological (infection, inflammation).
Allostasis
- Concept of "stability through change," linking stress to disease.
- The brain constantly monitors future events and anticipates requirements from neuroendocrine and autonomic systems.
- Allostatic overload occurs when adaptive systems are overactivated, leading to clinical pathophysiology and heightened disease risk, which varies individually.
Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) System
- Key stress response pathway involving regulation by the hypothalamus.
- Stress activates the hypothalamus to release corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), prompting anterior pituitary to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
- ACTH circulates to adrenal glands, triggering cortisol release.
Cortisol
- Secreted during stress; affects all tissues and is vital for maintaining energy through gluconeogenesis, raising blood glucose levels.
- Influences protein metabolism and has various health implications, including links to obesity, sleep deprivation, hypertension, diabetes, and bone density loss.
- Although it inhibits early inflammatory responses, cortisol promotes repair and resolution.
- Elevated cortisol levels can reduce innate immunity and increase risks of autoimmune reactions.
Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) & Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)
- SNS activation occurs alongside the HPA response during stress.
- Increases norepinephrine and epinephrine levels, leading to enhanced blood flow to vital organs, increased heart rate, and higher blood pressure.
- Catecholamines released during stress prepare the body for fight-or-flight responses.
- PNS provides balance to the SNS effects, inducing relaxation and slowing heart rate through the vagus nerve.
The Alarm Reaction
- Initial response to a stressor activates physiological effects.
- Catecholamines released into the bloodstream result in increased heart rate as a primary physiological effect.
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Description
This quiz explores the concepts of stress and allostasis, highlighting their definitions and implications for well-being. It also delves into the HPA system, a critical pathway in the stress response. Understand how various stimuli affect our physiological and psychological states.
