Week 4 Midterm Flashcards by Brittany Young

What is the name of the group of cells that makes up the endocrine system?

-Endocrine glands

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What do endocrine glands do?

-Endocrine glands secrete hormones directly into the blood stream

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What do endocrine hormones regulate?

-Growth, metabolism, tissue function, sexual function, and reproduction

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What are the components of the endocrine system?

-Pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenal glands, testes, and ovaries

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Explain the Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) pathway

-Hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH)
-CRH triggers the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
-Once ACTH reaches the adrenal gland glucocorticoid is released

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Is the endocrine response slow or fast, and also is it localized or widespread?

-The endocrine response is slower to activate, is widespread throughout the body and lasts longer than the sympathetic response

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In the endocrine system, sympathetic arousal is a marker for what?

-Anxiety and vigilance

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In the endocrine system, heavy secretions of glucocorticoids means what?

-Heavy secretions of glucocorticoids is more often the marker for depression.

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What are the two lines of defense of the immune system?

-1st line of defense- skin and mucous membranes
-2nd line of defense- inflammatory response

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What happens when an injury occurs?

-A type of white blood cell releases histamine and other proteins which cause blood vessels to dilate sending more blood to the area of injury. The additional blood brings more white blood cells to fight the illness.

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What is an antigen?

-An antigen is the equivalent of a bar code on the surface of the cell

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What does an antigen do?

-The antigen is what helps your lymphocytes identify self from non-self

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What is a lymphocyte and what does it do?

-A lymphocyte is a white blood cell that produces antibodies

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What do antibodies do?

-Antibodies bind with antigens and kill or disable foreign invaders

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What happens in humoral immunity?

-Our bodies only store a few antibodies for each pathogen it has encountered
-Once a lymphocyte encounters its matching antigen it goes into hyper reproduction

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What do Memory B cells do in humoral immunity?

-Memory B cells recognize previous antigens, release their antibodies and destroy the germ or virus before it become a problem

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What do T cells do?

-They are responsible for cell mediated immunity

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What does cell mediated immunity do?

-Cell mediated immunity destroys pathogens inside the cell, whereas humoral immunity destroys pathogens outside the cell

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What do leukocytes produce?

-Leukocytes produce proteins called cytokines

What do cytokines do?

-Cytokines communicate to the brain and central nervous system

How does communication work with cytokines?

-Reciprocal communication occurs between brain cytokines and immune system cytokines. Cytokines in the brain warn the immune system and vice versa.

What do cytokines produce?

-Cytokines produce fever, sleepiness, lack of energy, loss of appetite, lowered libido.

What can trigger cytokine release?

-Strong negative emotions can trigger cytokine release

What do cytokines in the CNS produce?

-Cytokines in the CNS produce depressive symptoms such as lethargy, low mood, and fatigue

What impact does stress and strong emotions have on the immune system?

-Stress and strong emotions are likely to lower the immune system’s ability to function and the its ability to respond to challenges.

What causes autoimmune problems?

-The immune system develops a hair trigger and over fires and mistakes itself for an invader -Early on in the stress response the immune system is activated rather than inhibited- glucocorticoid’s role is to ensure that the immune system gets shut off so it does not become out of control

What treats autoimmune problems?

- Glucocorticoids treat the autoimmune problems

How does stress impact wound healing?

-Prolonged stress leads to reduced inflammation and longer wound healing -Delayed wound healing is caused by elevated glucocorticoid

What aggravates autoimmune problems?

-Stress has been shown to aggravate autoimmune problems

How does glucocorticoids impact latent viruses?

-Latent viruses such as herpes, Epstein Barr, and Varicella Zoster come out of latency during times of high glucocorticoid levels

What do glucocorticoids do to the body?

-Glucocorticoids powerfully suppress the immune system functioning and decrease inflammation

When are glucocorticoids produced?

-Glucocorticoids are a hormone produce during the stress response

What are glucocorticoids used to treat?

-Glucocorticoids are used to treat allergic conditions and autoimmune disorders

How does the HPA axis relate to Esther Sternberg?

-HPA axis releases cortisol which slows down or shuts off cytokine production

What happens if cytokine production goes unchecked?

-If cytokine production goes unchecked inflammatory problems and autoimmune disease such as RA

What is Psychoneuroimmunology?

-The scientific investigation of how the brain affects the body’s immune cells and how the immune system can be affected by emotions and behavior

How does PNI view the body?

-PNI recognizes the fact that the body is not simply a collection of systems but should be seen as a whole.

What makes PNI different from other mind body models?

-What makes PNI different from earlier mind body models is that it brings the immune system into the equation. Also bringing disciplines together under the PNI umbrella gives researchers and practitioners an interdisciplinary approach.

The central nervous system is linked to what?

-The central nervous system is linked to both the bone marrow and the thymus (where immune system cells are produced) and to the spleen and lymph nodes (where immune system cells are stored)

Organs of the immune system are innervated by what?

-Organs of the immune system are innervated by the autonomic nervous system- changes in autonomic activity will affect and alter activity in the immune system including activation and production of lymphocytes

How do changes in the brain and spinal cord affect the immune system?

-Changes in the brain and spinal cord affect how the immune system responds and when an immune response is triggered in the body, there are changes in the way the brain and spinal cord function

Do lymphocytes respond to hormones and neurotransmitters?

Yes lymphocytes (immune system cells) respond to hormones and neurotransmitters (they have receptors for epinephrine)

Do emotions impact the immune system?

-Emotions trigger the release of hormones into the system which affect system function

How do cytokines impact the central nervous system and immune system?

-Cytokines are actively involved in an immune response particularly inflammation and produce substances that send signals to the central nervous system

How does stress impact the immune system?

-The body’s immune system can be influenced by stress which can make the body more susceptible to infectious diseases

How do psychoactive drugs/alcohol impact the CNS and immune system?

-Immune function can be influence and change by psychoactive drugs and alcohol