HOW TO MEASURES STRESS? FMRI/ SALIVA/ URINE/ PULSE OXIMETER

Question 1

NAME 4 BIOLOGICAL METHODS CAN BE USED TO MEASURE STRESS?

Answer 1

1. FMRI
2. PULSE OXIMETER
3. SALIVA SAMPLES
4. URINE SAMPLES

Question 2

What is an FMRI?

Answer 2

A brain-imaging technique used to measure brain activity by tracking changes in the flow of oxygenated blood. When a part of the brain is active there is increased cerebral blood flow to that area, allowing us to see how different brain areas respond to different stimuli/ activity

Question 3

How can FMRI’s be used to measure stress?

Answer 3

Get ppts to complete a stress inducing task whilst in the scanner, and compare images of the brain before and after the task to see which parts of the brain were most active during exposure to stress.

Question 4

What brain areas are most active in response to stress?

Answer 4

• Amygdala
• Hippocampus
• Hypothalamus

Question 5

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of using FMRI’s to measure stress?

Answer 5

Strength= scientific & objective- high spatial resolution allows researchers to distinguish between different types of stress- emotional/physical stress activates slightly different regions.

Weakness= not suitable for everyone (people with claustrophobia, metal implants, or pacemakers.

Question 6

What are pulse-oximeter?

Answer 6

A small clip placed on the finger which can measure oxygen saturation and heart rate.

Question 7

How can pulse oximeters be used to measure stress?

Answer 7

• It works by passing small beams of light through the finger to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood.

Rationale- stress can lead to increase in heart rate and thus higher oxygenated blood

Question 8

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of measuring stress using a pulse oximeter?

Answer 8

Strength- quick & easy- measures immediate physiological changes to stress (inc heart rate)
Weakness- high heart rate can be influenced by movement, temperature, fitness level, caffieine.

Question 9

How can saliva samples be used to measure stress? how are these samples collected?

Answer 9

• Saliva samples can be used to measure levels of free cortisol (biologically active form of cortisol)
• Samples are collected at specific times in a day through a tube/ swab. Cortisol levels are quantified and compared to normal levels.

Question 10

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of using saliva samples to measure stress?

Answer 10

Strength- non-invasive, painless and quick- the sample is collected painlessly and dosen’t require any surgical procedures/ needles.
Weakness- cortisol levels can be infleunced by food, smoking and time of day.

Question 11

How can urine samples be used to measure stress? how are the samples collected?

Answer 11

Rationale- Urine samples can measure cortisol, adrenaline (epinephrine), noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and their breakdown products.

How its collected? these stress hormones are metabolized and excreted in urine. By analyzing a 24-hour urine collection, we can assess how much of these hormones were released over time.

Question 12

Name 1 strength and 1 weakness of measuring stress through urine samples?

Answer 12

strength- Strength- non-invasive, painless and quick- the sample is collected painlessly and dosen’t require any surgical procedures/ needles.
Weakness-cortisol levels can be infleunced by food, smoking and time of day. Some participants may find urine collection embarrassing or intrusive.