Lecture 12: Stress Flashcards by Alicia Sabbatella

When is there a higher incidence of heart attacks?

During wars, natural disasters, sporting events
Cardiac and stroke related deaths increased 50% in Dutch men on the day their soccer team was unexpectedly eliminated from the European Championship by France
Pattern not observed in Dutch women, French men or French women

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Stressor

Something that disrupts physiological homeostasis (injury, illness, extreme temp, exam)

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Stress response

Suite of responses by the body that helps to reestablish homeostasis

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Where are the two stress responses in the body? What are their neurotransmitters?

ANS (nor/epinephrine)

HPA (cortisol)

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What is an adaptive stress response?

In the short term; helps individuals cope with emergency situations, improves chances of survival

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What is a maladaptive stress response?

Long term overactivation

Pathological

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What are the two major components of the stress response?

Epinephrine- adrenal medulla- seconds

Glucocorticoids- adrenal cortex- minutes

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When is cortisol produced? Where?

In the HPA axis

Under stressful circumstances

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When do catecholamine concentrations peak in regards to PhD exam?

On the day of the exam (epinephrine excretion is the highest)

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What is the neuroendocrine axis for stress?

Hypothalamus releases CRH to the pituitary gland (anterior) which triggers the release of ACTH to the adrenal gland. Adrenal gland releases cortisol that affects the immune system. There is a negative feedback loop here

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Name 4 steroid hormones

Cortisol
Aldosterone
Estradiol
Testosterone

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Where are steroids derived? Describe their solubility too.

Derived from cholesterol and are lipid soluble

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What are the actions of glucocorticoids (cortisol/corticosterone)?

Turns off bodily systems that are not immediately essential for dealing with the stressor
-shuts down insulin production so liver releases glucose
-shuts down reproductive function
-inhibits immune system
Body’s energy supplies are concentrated on dealing with stress

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How is cortisol production regulated?

In a negative feedback system: the production of cortisol by the adrenal gland feeds back to the cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus and pituitary to inhibit further production

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What two brain areas regulate the HPA axis?

Hippocampus

Amygdala

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Limbic system regulation of HPA

Amygdala stimulates HPA axis to release cortisol
Hippocampus inhibits the HPA axis and the release of cortisol. The released cortisol excites the hippocampus to increase its inhibition on the HPA axis

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What is the relationship between cortisol and cognition?

Inverted U relationship

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What do small acute increases in cortisol do?

Enhances hippocampal mediated learning and memory

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What do large, prolonged increases in cortisol do?

Impairs memory

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What happens if one has chronic stress early in life?

This has enduring effects

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What happens if one has chronic stress in adulthood?

It can be reversed after a period of non stress

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What does mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activation do?

Enhances LTP and memory

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What does glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation do?

Suppresses LTP and memory

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What five effects do glucocorticoid release have on the body?

Mobilization of energy
Suppression of growth
Suppression of reproduction
Suppression of digestion
Suppression of immunity

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What happens during acute stress?

Cortisol enhances hippocampal inhibition of HPA axis

What happens during chronic stress?

Cortisol damages hippocampal neurons - initial effect is loss of dendritic spines - disrupts negative feedback which further damages hippocampal cells - loss of neurogenesis in the hippocampus - neuron death

What happens to dendritic morphology in the hippocampus after chronic stress exposure?

It decreases in the hippocampus

What happens to cells in the hippocampus after chronic stress exposure?

Reduced cell number (due to reduced adult neurogenesis and increased cell death)

What happens to hippocampal size after chronic stress exposure?

It is reduced

What happens in the amygdala after chronic stress exposure?

Increases dendritic branches in the basolateral amygdala neurons

What is stress for animals usually?

Often acute, physical, responsive

For people in industrial societies, what is stress like?

Often chronic, psychosocial, anticipatory

How is physiological stress response similar in animals and people in industrial societies?

It is conserved

Give an example of an acute, physical stressor.

Being injured in a car crash

Give an example of chronic, physical stressor.

Being malnourished | Having cancer

Give an example of an acute, psychological stressor.

Working against a deadline

Give an example of a chronic, psychological stressor.

Feeling constant pressure at work

Give an example of an acute, social stressor.

Being humiliated

Give an example of a chronic, social stressor.

Isolation | Overcrowding

What are the six adaptive effects of stress response?

1. Increased immediate availability of energy 2. Increased oxygen intake 3. Decreases blood flow to organ systems, not necessary for movement 4. Inhibition of energetically expensive processes (digestion, growth, immune function, reproduction) 5. Decreased pain perception 6. Enhances sensory and memory function

How is the brain affected by chronic stress?

Dendritic atrophy, impaired neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity, enhanced benzodiazepine tone

How is the immune system affected by chronic stress?

Basal immunosuppressive and decreased immune responsiveness to challenge

How is the heart affected by chronic stress?

Basal hypertension, sluggish response to and recovery from stress, pathogenic cholesterol profile

How is the adrenal gland affected by chronic stress?

Elevated basal levels of glucocorticoids, sluggish response to and recovery from stress, feedback resistance

How are the ovaries affected by chronic stress?

Decreased levels of gonadal hormones, increased risk of anovulation and miscarriage

How are the testes affected by chronic stress?

Testicular atrophy, decreased levels of hormones in the gonadal axis

Who is wound healing impaired in?

Caregivers

Who do hormone profiles differ across?

Species, social structures, lab/wild

Which receptor do glucocorticoids bind to under chronic stress?

Mineralocorticoid receptor

What receptor do glucocorticoids bind to under acute stress feedback?

Glucocorticoid receptor

What does Mineralocorticoid receptor activation do?

Enhances LTP and memory

What does glucocorticoid receptor activation do?

Suppresses LTP and memory

If you stress rat dams, what do you get?

Increased HPA activation

Offspring of prenatal stress exposure in rodents display what?

Permanent changes in brain morphology

What does maternal stress alter in male rodent offspring?

Testosterone levels in fetal male rats, shifting the peak; disrupts sexual differentiation

What does prenatal stress in rodents impair?

HPA negative feedback mechanisms in adulthood, leading to elevated stress hormone

What does maternal stress in rodents do to the hippocampus?

Results in lower hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor expression in the offspring

What do stressed offspring of rodents more likely to do?

They become more anxious; more likely to self administer drugs

What 6 things does prenatal stress exposure in humans do? What is this called?

Called prenatal programming of HPA axis - reduced birth weights - developmental delays - attentional deficits - anxiety - impaired social behaviors - increased incidences of schizophrenia (?)

Who experiences hypertrophy of the amygdala?

Girls whose mother experienced elevated stress hormone levels due to elevated cortisol values during pregnancy IN RIGHT AMYGDALA

What three things does prolonged exercise change?

Hormone concentrations: - cortisol (elevated) - epinephrine (elevated) - testosterone (lowered)

When is stress highest in white-crowned sparrows (seasonal)?

During breeding season and starts to rise as it approaches. Then falls dramatically

What determines pathological stress response in rats?

Predictability of stimulus shock

Telomeres

Caps on chromosomes

What is the index of biological age?

Telomeres

What does short telomere length predict?

Subsequent morbidity and mortality

What two things are associated with shortened telomere length?

Social and psychological factors (chronic perceived stress, pessimism, social disadvantage)

What is the mechanism of how stress gets “under the skin”?

It is elusive

How did Epel investigate the hypothesis that stress impacts health?

By modulating the rate of cellular aging

Women with the highest levels of perceived stress have what?

Telomeres shorter by the equivalent of one decade of additional aging compared to low stress women

What are 5 interventions to reduce the effects of stress on the brain?

- regular physical activity - Mindfulness-based stress reduction - Social support and integration - Developing a sense of meaning and purpose - never writing a textbook

Lecture 12: Stress Flashcards

(71 cards)