Chapter 1 1. How are the body’s physiological defenses affected when under sustained stress? Why? Alarm reaction- fight or flight Stage of resistance- try to adapt to stressor Stage of exhaustion- prolonged exposure, the body cannot adapt 2. In the view of stress as an environmental event, what aspects are missing when considering an individual’s response to a stressful situation?
Selye was convinced that reactions to stressful situations: a. were general and nonspecific b. differed, depending on the type of stressor that was present c. were stronger when people had other physical illnesses d. differed, depending on the personality characteristics of the individual __A__ 3. The physiological reaction to an environmental threat, in which the autonomic nervous system energizes the body and hormones are released by the endocrine system, is called: a. a fight-or-flight response b. a resistance response c. a generalized anxiety response d. reaction formation ___D_ 4. In the general activation syndrome (GAS), described by Selye, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system first becomes activated during: a. the resistance phase b. the stage of exhaustion c. recovery from the stress d. the alarm reaction __C__ 5. Quinn was driving his car on an icy road when the back end started to skid out of control. His car crossed the centerline, and he could see the headlights of rapidly approaching oncoming traffic.
Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire to see if they were experiencing any other type of stress. Kiecolt-Glaser found that NK cell activity was reduced in the second blood sample compared to the one taken one month before the exams, an implication of this finding is that short term stressors reduce immune system functioning, increasing vulnerability to illness. It was also found that students who reported the highest levels of loneliness had the lowest NK cell activity. Kiecolt-Glaser’s study on examination stress was supported by Marucha (1998) who looked at the rate in which wounds healed. Marucha inflicted a ‘punch biopsy’ in the mouth of students either during the summer holidays
These students showed an increase in sIgA whereas during the examination period, which stretched over several weeks, the levels of sIgA decreased. He proposed that short-term acute stress may actually up regulation therefore increasing efficiency but chronic stress may cause down-regulation. Lazarus criticised both these studies as he says that it is difficult to establish a relationship between stress and illness. He suggests that health is
She measured the NK cell activity to see how the immune system was effected and found that the NK cell activity had dropped significantly in the second blood sample that had been taken shows that stress had caused to lower the efficiency of the immune system and made the students were vulnerable to stress-related illnesses. Also Marucha et al. conducted a study involving a group of students. Marucha inflicted a punch-biopsy 3 days before an exam and found that the wound took 40% longer to heal when the wound was inflicted during the exam period. Also if a acute stressors could have such a negative impact on the immune system on chronic stressors where also suspected to have a similar effect.
Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.” (Segal,Jaffe-Gill,Smith 1) Why are we stressed? Individually, we all have different reasons as to why we are stressed. Mostly it depends on how you
Outline and evaluate research into Stress and the Immune System Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure, and is experienced when a person's perceived environmental, social, and physical demands exceed their perceived ability to cope. Stress itself is not an illness but can cause an illness if not tackled. By being stressed, it leads to an increase in cortisol (a hormone produced by the adrenal gland), and this increase in cortisol leads to a decrease in immune system functioning, which therefore leads to several illnesses. The main function of the immune system is to protect the body from infectious agents such as viruses and other toxins. In support of this theory, a natural experiment was carried out by Kiecolt Glasser et al in 1984.
This drug significantly reduced cholesterol from 40 percent to 72 percent when given at two-week intervals. It was also given at four-week intervals but the effects were not nearly as significant. However, “Six patients, all receiving REGN727, stopped the therapy due to adverse events which included headache, injection site reactions, and diarrhea” (Curley, Ann, CNN, 2012). Those side effects would likely scare anyone. That is why the government needs to step in and offer a grant for these companies to dig deeper into their studies and come up with something that has less side effects.
They do this, either to be protected from over stimulation damage or so the brain may maintain a chemical balance (Sferios, 2002). This is what is known as down-regulation and can lead to longer feelings of depression even after serotonin levels have been restored (Sferios, 2002). People who have taken MDMA for a long period of time have reported depression lasting for up to a year (Ecstasy, 2005). Another negative long term effect of MDMA use is called Neurotoxicity (Ecstasy, 2005). This leads to the oxidation of neurons when dopamine accidentally enters the serotonin axons through reuptake transporters (Sferios, 2002).
There are other systomes of this disease which includes tiredness, pain depression and constipation. However Parkinson's Disease affects people differently and some people are able to have a good quality of life for a long time. Men are slightly more likely to develop Parkinson's Disease than women. There are no agreed tests available so it is difficult to diagnose this