Week 2 Midterm

Question 1

Define Stress

Answer 1

Any challenge to homeostasis (the body’s internal sense of balance)

Question 2

When does stress occur?

Answer 2

Stress occurs whenever there is a change or something new that we must adapt to

Question 3

What is Allostasis?

Answer 3

The process of achieving stability- or homeostasis- in a dynamic system through physiological or behavioral change

Question 4

What is Allostatic Overload?

Answer 4

The cumulative effects of chronic physiological stress

Question 5

What was Walter Cannon’s 1939 Model of Stress?

Answer 5

He conceptualized stress as the disruption of homeostasis when the body mobilizes its resources to cope with an external threat

Question 6

What was Hans Selye’s 1956 Model of Stress?

Answer 6

He viewed stress as a nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it

Question 7

What was Holmes and Rahe’s 1967 Model of Stress?

Answer 7

Defined stressors as events which requires a significant change in the ongoing life pattern of the individual

Question 8

What was Lazarus and Folkman’s 1984 Model of Stress?

Answer 8

Transactional Model of Stress describes stress as the judgment that environmental or internal demands exceed the individual’s resources

Question 9

What two components is the Nervous system made of?

Answer 9

o Central Nervous System
o Peripheral Nervous System

Question 10

What two components are in the Central Nervous System?

Answer 10

o Brain
o Spinal Cord

Question 11

What two components are in the Peripheral Nervous System?

Answer 11

o Somatic
o Autonomic

Question 12

What two components are in the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 12

-Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight/Flight)
-Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest/Digest)

Question 13

What happens when the sympathetic nervous system is triggered?

Answer 13

-Release of epinephrine and norepinephrine
-Increased blood flow to muscles
-Converts stored nutrients to glucose
-Increased heart rate
-Vasoconstriction
-Racing thoughts

Question 14

What happens with the parasympathetic nervous system is triggered?

Answer 14

o Mediated by acetylcholine
o Increases digestion
o Restores/replenishes
o Recovery
o Heart rate slows
o Vasodilation
o Thinking slows

Question 15

In an ideal state what nervous system is most active?

Answer 15

Slightly toward parasympathetic

Question 16

During sleep what nervous system is most active?

Answer 16

Parasympathetic

Question 17

During a deep meditative state what nervous system is most active?

Answer 17

Parasympathetic

Question 18

During intense fear what nervous system is most active?

Answer 18

Sympathetic

Question 19

During a panic attack what nervous system is most active?

Answer 19

Sympathetic

Question 20

What pathway is the sympathetic nervous system activated by?

Answer 20

Sympathetic adrenomedullary pathway (SAM)

Question 21

Is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system via SAM fast acting or slow acting?

Answer 21

Fast Acting

Question 22

What hormones are released via the SAM pathway?

Answer 22

Epinephrine and norepinephrine

Question 23

What symptoms can SAM activation cause?

Answer 23

Chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath

Question 24

Is SAM pathway activation adaptive or maladaptive?

Answer 24

-BOTH!
-Adaptive in situations where threat is real
-Maladaptive in situations like panic attacks that have no real threat

Question 25

What does Epinephrine and Norepinephrine do?

Answer 25

-Mobilizes glucose to provide energy -Increases blood flow to muscles -Dilate lungs and increase respiratory rate -Increase oxygen to brain to heighten awareness -Accelerate clotting and constrict blood vessels to reduce blood loss -Release endorphins to suppress pain

Question 26

What are the stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 26

o Alarm Stage o Resistance Stage o Exhaustion Stage

Question 27

What happens in the alarm stage of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 27

Resembles Canon’s Fight/Flight Response

Question 28

What happens in the resistance stage of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 28

-Activation of the HPA axis -Releases hormones acetylcholine, corticotropin, and cortisol -Person appears normal but adaptation to the stressor places mounting demands on the body -Local defenses will break down if stressor persists

Question 29

What happens in the exhaustion stage of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome?

Answer 29

-Increased endocrine activity depletes body resources -Raised cortisol levels resulting in suppressed immunity -Development of stress syndromes -Chronic Inflammation

Question 30

What is the pathway of HPA axis?

Answer 30

Begins in the Amygdala goes to hypothalamus to pituitary to adrenal glands

Question 31

What did the Holmes and Rache Scale 1967 believe?

Answer 31

-Believed that the single common denominator for stress is a significant change in the life pattern of the individual- any change even good is disruptive -The more life events the person had within a period of time the more likely they would become ill

Question 32

How does the Transactional Model of Stress work?

Answer 32

-Primary appraisal – determine if there is a threat -Secondary appraisal- evaluate if our coping abilities are greater than the threat (perception of abilities is more important than existence) -Person initiates strategies for coping

Question 33

How does chronic stress impact the immune system?

Answer 33

-Increased cortisol levels lower immunity -Longer wound healing times

Question 34

How does chronic stress impact cognitive functioning?

Answer 34

-High cortisol levels can impact memory -Increases metabolic activity in hippocampus making in vulnerable to damage such as dendrite shrinkage -Suppresses neuronal repair -Increases ability to store memories about stressful stimuli -Disruption executive functioning

Question 35

How does chronic stress impact aging?

Answer 35

-Telomerase activity declines and the telomere shortens -More years caring for chronically ill children correlated to shorter telomeres -Researchers calculated that the cells of high stress mothers had aged 9 to 17 more years than those of low stress mothers.

Question 36

How does chronic stress impact the cardiovascular system?

Answer 36

Acute stress causes BP to spike resulting in damage to protective lining of arteries- atherosclerosis develops- increased risk for heart attack and stroke

Question 37

How does chronic stress impact chronic pain?

Answer 37

-Neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine play role in reducing pain -Release of neurotransmitters slows during chronic stress -Pain receptors become more sensitive and pain is up-regulated

Question 38

How does chronic stress impact the likelihood of increased stress?

Answer 38

-Cortisol binding to the amygdala increases fear response -Increases amygdala’s inability to keep prefrontal cortex in check – emotional hijacking occurs. -Elevated cortisol levels facilitate anxiogenic pathway thus increasing anxiety

Question 39

Does stress cause disease?

Answer 39

No but it increases your risk of getting disease or can exacerbate an existing disease due to lowered defenses

Question 40

What types of things cause stress?

Answer 40

o Physical stress o Psychological stress o Social Stress o Major life changes