Stress Response Systems and Health Impacts

What are the two major stress response systems in the body

Sympatho-Adreno-Medullary (SAM) axis

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis

What is the relationship between HPA and SAM

Hypothalamus secretes Corticotropin releasing harmone( CRH)

What does Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) cause the pituitary gland to do?

Secretion of adrenocorticotrophic

What does the Sympatho-Adreno-Medullary (SAM) do?

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) causes the sympathetic ganglia to stimulate the adrenal medulla to release a mixture of epinephrine and norepinephrine that triggers physiological fight or flight response.

What does the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis activate?

Causes the adrenal cortex to secrete corticosteroids which includes cortisol, that combat inflammation, promote healing and mobilize the body's energy resources.

Describe Allostatic load

The wear and tear on the body from chronic exposure to stressful stimuli, leading to negative health outcomes.

What some factors that lead to Allostatic Load?

Repeated neural, endocrine, and immune responses.

Describe negative affect

How someone feels internally when they fail to achieve a goal, faced a threat, or is dissatisfied with the current situation.

How do people high in negative affect cope with stress?

Avoidance

Alcohol or drug use

Being Sedentary

Describe the impact that social support has on the body

It reduces cortisol responses

lowers allostatic load

decreases cellular aging

improves overall health outcomes.

What are some examples of positive Coping Strategies for dealing with stress

Mindfulness Training ( Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)

Expressive Writing

Relaxation training

Structure stress management Program

Self-Monitoring

Eliminating Negative Self-talk

Describe how the Immune System fights off foreign invaders in the body

Activates inflammatory response. Releases chemicals called Cytokines into the blood stream

What does the chemicals Cytokines do?

Helps fight off infections and healing wounds short term

Maladaptive coping mechanisms

Avoidance, alcohol or drug use, and being sedentary.

Chronic stress impact on immune system

It disrupts immune function by activating the HPA and SAM axes and promoting maladaptive health behaviors.

Define Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The study of interactions between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

Indirect impairment of immune function by stress

By leading to behaviors such as smoking, poor sleep, substance abuse, lack of exercise, and poor nutrition.

Describe Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

Childhood trauma types such as abuse, neglect, parental separation, and exposure to violence or substance abuse.

Glucocorticoid resistance model

It suggests that chronic stress reduces the immune system's sensitivity to glucocorticoid hormones, leading to excessive inflammation.

PTSD health risks

It is associated with higher medical care usage, chronic pain, obesity, and substance abuse.

Gold-standard treatments for PTSD

Prolonged exposure (PE), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).

Physical illnesses associated with trauma

Higher prevalence of obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and cancer.

Role of inflammation in stress-related illnesses

Stress triggers the release of proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha), which can lead to chronic inflammatory conditions.

Factors increasing illness risk in trauma survivors

Allostatic load, chronic low-grade inflammation, comorbid depression, and sleep disturbances.

Describe caregiver stress impact on health

Increased stress levels,

abnormalities in cortisol production

reduced immune function

higher rates of depression

Short-term vs chronic stressors on immune function

Acute stressors upregulate natural immunity and downregulate specific immunity,

chronic stressors suppress overall immune function.