12.3 Stress And Health

Question 0

Hands Selye defined _____ as the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it.

Answer 0

stress

Question 1

____ ____ emphasises the effects on health of diet, smoking, exercise, stressful experiences, and other behaviours.

Answer 1

Behavioural medicine

Question 2

Selye inferred that any threat to the body, in addition to its specific effects, activated a generalise response to stress, which he called the ____ ____ ____.

Answer 2

general adaptation syndrome

Question 3

The initial stage of general adaptation syndrome, which he called ____, is characterised by increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system, readying the body for brief emergency activity.

Answer 3

alarm

Question 4

During the second stage of general adaptation syndrome, _____, the sympathetic response declines, but the adrenal cortex secretes cortisol and other hormones that enable the body to maintain prolonged alertness, fight infections, and heal wounds.

Answer 4

resistance

Question 5

After an intense, prolonged stress, the body enters the third stage of the general adaptation syndrome, ____. During this stage, the individual is tired, inactive, and vulnerable because the nervous system and immune systems no longer have the energy to sustain their heightened responses.

Answer 5

exhaustion

Question 6

Bruce McEwan (2000) propose an alternative definition of ____ that is better for most purposes: “events that are interpreted as threatening to an individual and which elicit physiological and behavioural responses”.

Answer 6

stress

Question 7

The idea remains that many kinds of events can be ____, and the body reacts to all kinds of stress in similar ways.

Answer 7

stressful

Question 8

Stress activates two body systems. One is the sympathetic nervous system, which prepares the body for brief emergency responses. The other is the ____ ____ – the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal cortex.

Answer 8

HPA axis

Question 9

Activation of the hypothalamus induces the anterior pituitary gland to secrete ____ ____ (ACTH), which in turn stimulates the human adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol, which enhances metabolic activity and elevates blood levels of sugar and other nutrients.

Answer 9

adrenocorticotropic hormone

Question 10

Many research is referred to ____ as a “stress hormone” and use measurements of cortisol level as an indication of someone’s recent stress level.

Answer 10

cortisol

Question 11

Compared to the autonomic nervous system, the HPA axis reacts more slowly, but it becomes the dominant response to ____ ____, such as living with an abusive parent or spouse.

Answer 11

prolonged stressors

Question 12

Stress that releases cortisol helps the body mobilise its energies to fight a difficult situation, but the effects depend on ____ and ____.

Answer 12

amount and duration

Question 13

Brief or moderate stress ____ attention and memory formation. It improves performance on relatively simple tasks, although it impairs performance that requires complex, flexible thinking.

Answer 13

improves

Question 14

Stress also enhances activity of the ____ ____, helping it fight illnesses.

Answer 14

immune system

Question 15

However, ____ stress impairs memory and immune activity.

Answer 15

prolonged

Question 16

The ____ ____ consists of cells that protect the body against viruses, bacteria, and other intruders.

Answer 16

immune system

Question 17

The immune system is like the ____ ____: if it is too weak, the “criminals” (viruses and bacteria) run wild and create damage. If it becomes too strong and unselective, it starts attacking “law-abiding citizens” (the bodies own cells).

Answer 17

police force

Question 18

When the immune system attacks normal cells, we call the result an ____ ____. Myasthenia gravis and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of autoimmune diseases.

Answer 18

autoimmune disease

Question 19

The most important elements of the immune system are the ____, commonly known as white blood cells.

Answer 19

leukocytes

Question 20

We distinguish several types of ____, including B cells, T cells, and natural killer cells.

Answer 20

leukocytes

Question 21

____, which mature mostly in the bone marrow, secrete antibodies, which are Y-shaped proteins that attach to particular kinds of antigens, just as a key fits the lock.

Answer 21

B cells

Question 22

Every cell has surfaced proteins called ____ (antibody-generator molecules), and your body’s antigens are as unique as your fingerprints.

Answer 22

antigens

Question 23

The B-cells recognise the “self” antigens, but when it finds an unfamiliar antigen, they ____ the cell. This kind of attack defends the body against viruses and bacteria.

Answer 23

attack

Question 24

After the body has made antibodies against a particular intruder, it “____” the intruder and quickly builds more of the same kind of antibody if encounters that intruder again.

Answer 24

remembers

Question 25

____ mature in the thalamus gland. Several kinds of T-cells attack intruders directly (without secreting antibodies), and some help other T-cells and B-cells to multiply.

Answer 25

T-cells

Question 26

____ ____ ____, another kind of leucocytes, attack tumour cells and cells that are infected with viruses. Natural killer cells attack all intruders.

Answer 26

Natural killer cells

Question 27

In response to an infection, leucocytes and other cells produce more proteins called ____ that combat infections and also communicate with the brain to elicit appropriate behaviours.

Answer 27

cytokines

Question 28

Cytokines trigger the ____ to produce fever, sleepiness, lack of energy, lack of appetite, and loss of sex drive.

Answer 28

hypothalamus

Question 29

The immune system also reacts to infection by increased production of ____, additional chemicals that promote sleepiness.

Answer 29

prostaglandins

Question 30

Cytokines and prostaglandins are responsible for what Selye called the ____ ____ ____.

Answer 30

general adaptation syndrome

Question 31

The nervous system has more control than we might have guessed over the immune system. The study of this relationship, called ____, deals with the ways experiences alter the immune system and how the immune system in turn influences the central nervous system.

Answer 31

psychoneuroimmunology

Question 32

Stress affects the immune system in several ways. In response to a stressful experience, the nervous system activates the immune system to increase its production of ____ ____ ____ and the secretion of ____.

Answer 32

natural killer cells : cytokines

Question 33

The elevated cytokine levels help combat infections, but they also trigger the brain to produce the same symptoms as if one were ___.

Answer 33

ill

Question 34

Many of the symptoms of ____, such as loss of interest and loss of appetite, are similar to those of illness and are probably related to the increased cytokines found in depressed people.

Answer 34

depression

Question 35

If you have been under much stress and start to feel ill, one possibility is that your symptoms are reactions to ________.

Answer 35

the stress itself

Question 36

A prolonged stress response is as ____ on the body is a prolonged illness would be.

Answer 36

draining

Question 37

A likely hypothesis is that prolonged increase of cortisol directs energy toward increasing ____ and therefore detracts energy from synthesising proteins, including the proteins of the immune system.

Answer 37

metabolism

Question 38

Prolonged stress can also harm the ____. Stress releases cortisol, and cortisol enhances metabolic activity throughout the body. When metabolic activity is high in the hippocampus, its cells become more vulnerable. Toxins or overstimulation are then more likely than usual to damage or kill neurons in the hippocampus.

Answer 38

hippocampus

Question 39

High cortisol levels may also be responsible for the deterioration of the hippocampus and decline of memory that occur in many ____ ____.

Answer 39

older people

Question 40

In humans, resilience in the face of stress correlates with stronger connections between the ____ and the ____ cortex.

Answer 40

amygdala and the prefrontal cortex

Question 41

People have found many ways to control their ____ ____. Possibilities include special breathing routines, exercise, meditation, and distraction, as well as, of course, trying to deal with the problem that caused the stress.

Answer 41

stress responses

Question 42

____ ____ is one of the most powerful methods of coping with stress, and researchers have demonstrated its effectiveness.

Answer 42

Social support

Question 43

People have wrong recognised that many soldiers returning from battle are prone to continuing anxieties and distress. In the past, people called this condition battle fatigue or shellshock. Today, they call it ____ ____ ____ (PTSD).

Answer 43

post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 44

PTSD occurs in some people who have endured ____ experiences, such as a life-threatening attack or watching someone get killed.

Answer 44

terrifying

Question 45

The ____ of PTSD, lasting at least a month after the event, include frequent distressing recollections (flashbacks) and nightmares about the traumatic event, avoidance of reminders of it, and vigorous reactions to noises and other stimuli.

Answer 45

symptoms

Question 46

Other studies have confirmed that people showing the ____ distress shortly after a traumatic event are not necessarily the ones who later develop PTSD.

Answer 46

greatest

Question 47

Most PTSD victims have a smaller than average ____.

Answer 47

hippocampus

Question 48

Perhaps people with ___ ____ levels are ill-equipped to combat stress and therefore more vulnerable to the damaging effects of stress and more prone than other people to PTSD.

Answer 48

low cortisol

Question 49

Apparently, the ____, which is so important for a emotional processing, is essential for the extreme emotional impact that produces PTSD.

Answer 49

amygdala