PSYCH STRESS EXAM1

Top national Stressor

Future of the nation (76%)

Stress

A universal, measurable experience that is not inherently pathological. It is a risk factor, not a disorder, it is distinct from anxiety or depression

Bracing

Unnecessary muscular contraction that contributes to tension headaches and physical pain

Trauma

Experiences causing intense physical and psychological stress reactions that are harmful or threatening

ie) combat, assault, natural disaster

Resilience

the ability to ‘weather adversity’

Walter cannon

1932

coined the fight or flight response, describing how the sympathetic nervous system primes the body to react to threats

Hans Selye

1936

proposed the general adaptation syndrome(GAS), a non-specific physiological response to demands

Stage 1: Alarm

Stage 2: Resistance

Stage 3: Exhaustion

The Stressor

A stimulus with the potential to trigger a fight or flight response

Can be environmental, psychological, interpersonal

Stress Reactivity

The physiological reaction

Duration of this reaction contributes more to illness than the degree of the reaction

Strain

The physical, psychological, or behavioral consequences of reactivity

ie) tension headaches

Evolutionary Mismatch

Our bodies prepare physiologically for threats that social norms prevent us from acting on

Nine misconception about stress

1) My experience is the same as yours —> one person nightmares is anothers challenge

2) Stress Happens to us

3) Only big things impact us —> daily hassles accumulate

4) We always know when we are stressed

5) Stress is inevitable, live with it —> stressors may be inevitable but the resulting strain is modifiable

6) Relaxation kills productivity —> micro-breaks and recovery sustain concentration and fuel performance

7) Stress and anxiety are the same

8) The same techniques work for everyone

9) You can live in a stress-free world —> change is constant, adaptation is constant

A lack of stress leads to poor performance and boredom

What is Survival Goal:

Brains primary directive is survival, functions ike generating energy, mapping the world, and warning of dangers take precedence over everything else.

Homeostasis

Water cannon

‘standing the same’ this process maintains vital parameters(like pH, oxygen, and temperature) within narrow, specific ranges.

Allostasis

‘stability through change’ this describes the active process of responding to challenges by operating within broader boundaries

Allostatic load

the wear and tear on the body accumulated when the body is forced to adapt to chronic stress or repeated challenges

Four lobes of brain and functions:

Frontal: planning, decision making, attention, and speech

Temporal: Memory, speech, and auditory processing

Parietal: perception of touch and spatial processing

Occipital: vision and object orientation

Brainstem components and function

Pons: the ‘bridge’ regulating sleep and breathing

Medulla Oblongata: regulates heartbeat and blood pressure

Reticular Activating System: regulates arousal

Limbic system

commanded center

thalamus: relay station for sensory data

hypothalamus: the ‘activator’ that triggers the autonomic nervous system

amygdala: handles threat detection and emotional sig

hippocampus: provides context and signals stress based on memory

Low road

fast

sensory stimuli travel from the thalamus directly to the amygdala

high road

slow

stimuli travel from thalamus to sensory cortex

you react before you understand

What are the two hypothalamus pathways

Autonomic nervous system

Endocrine system

Autonomic nervous system response

Sympathetic nervous system: the accelerator, trigger fight or flight

Parasympathetic: the brake, it triggers rest and digest

Adrenal Medulla: releases epinephrine and norepinephrine

Sympathetic nervous system

the accelerator, trigger fight or flight

Parasympathetic

the brake, it triggers rest and digest

Adrenal Medulla

: releases epinephrine and norepinephrine

Hormonal slow track—>endocrine system

HPA Axis: Hypothalamus —>CRF/H, Pituitary—>ACTH, and Adrenal

Adrenal release glucocorticoids and mineralcortcois which is cortisol and aldosterone

Thyroid system

Thyroid gland releases thyroxine

Pituitary hormones are vasopressin and oxytocin

Cardiovas impact w/ stress

Heart rate and blood pressure are altered by sympathetic nervous system activation and the release of stress hormones

Negative feedback loop

as cortisol levels rise the system shuts itself off

Cortisol Awakening response

cortisol naturally peaks 30-45 min after waking

Trier social stress test

standard research method where participants deliver a speech in front of a not so friendly committee to measure physiological stress response

Dysregulation in PTSD

shows PTSD patients exhibit a ‘post-stressor crash’ where cortisol drops significantly below baseline during recovery.

Frontal:

planning, decision making, attention, and speech

Temporal:

Memory, speech, and auditory processing

Parietal:

perception of touch and spatial processing

Occipital

: vision and object orientation

Thalamus:

relay station for sensory data

hypothalamus:

the ‘activator’ that triggers the autonomic nervous system

amygdala:

handles threat detection and emotional sig

hippocampus:

provides context and signals stress based on memory

Pons:

the ‘bridge’ regulating sleep and breathing

Medulla Oblongata

regulates heartbeat and blood pressure

Reticular Activating System:

regulates arousal

Psychosomatic disease

Involves both the mind and body, it is often referred to as psychophysiological to emphasize that is it ‘real’ diagnosable and manifest physically

College Context

High rates for anxiety and depression

academic impact= 36.8 college students say stress affects academic performance

Leading Killer

heart disease remains the number one cause of death in USA

Risk factor of heart disease

high cholesterol, hypertension, and smokeing

Impact of stress Russek study

research indicates stress and strain in the single highest risk factor for heart disease

general practitioners have sig higher coronary heart disease compared to dermatologist

How does stress impact CVD

increase platelet activation, cytokine production(inflammation), and vasoconstriction

Ischemia

Lack of blood flow to heart

Silent Danger

unlike exercise induced ischemia(that causes chest pain) stress induced ischemia are 3x more likely to suffer a repeat heart attack or death

Amygdala Link

Tawakol

higher resting metabolic activity in the amygdala predicts the development of CVD in advance

amygdala hyperactivity—>arterial inflammation—>heart failure

broken heart syndrome

tako tsubo

mimics heart attack w/ massive catecholamines release causing the heart muscle to be ‘stunned’

triggered by severe emotional distress rather than blocked arteries

Acute triggers

catastrophic events are associated with immediate spikes in sudden cardiac death

most common trigger for heart attack is emotional upset

Hippocampus Vulnerability

hippocampus has high density of glucocorticoid receptors —> makes it hghly sensitive to cortisol

cycle of damage

chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol—>hippocampus atrophy—>impaired negative feedback loop—>further cortisol elevation

hostile takeover

under stress the PFC atrophies and loses control while the amygdala expands and drives behavior

stress and memory

encoding: stress during encoding can enhance memory, but stress before impairs it

retrieval: stress prior to a test sig. impairs perfromance

reconsolidating: activated memories become unstable , stress during this phase can alter memory

reversibility: hippocampus volume can recover(neurogenesis) when cortisol normalizes but amygdala is hard to reverse

encoding:

stress during encoding can enhance memory, but stress before impairs it

retrieval:

stress prior to a test sig. impairs perfromance

reconsolidating:

activated memories become unstable , stress during this phase can alter memory

reversibility:

hippocampus volume can recover(neurogenesis) when cortisol normalizes but amygdala is hard to reverse

deep slow breathing

serves as physiological break, by activating the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system to slow heart rate and reduce anxiety

Cohen Study

stressed indiv exposed to the cold virus were 2-3x more likely to get sick

duration matter=severe chronic tress increase chance

immune mech

stress decreases white blood cells

phagocytes

lymphocytes= t cell and b cell

disease prone personality

characterized by depression, hostility and anxiety

cancer prone trait

repressing emotions, self pity, and inability to forgive

cancer resistant traits

optimism, perceived control and expression of emotions