biological - adrenaline and accute stress

• What is the autonomic nervous system?

  The part of the nervous system responsible for control of the bodily functions not consciously directed, such as breathing, the heartbeat, and digestive processes.

  
  

  ANS helps our systems function normally when under stress, e.g. supplying oxygen to muscles when we run and our heart beat increases.
• What is the ANS split into?

  sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
• What is the sympa

  fight or flight

  
  

  Hypothalamus controls the body's response to stress, when stress is detected, the H triggers activity in the adrenal gland (medulla), releasing nerve messages.

  
  

  The adrenal medulla then releases adrenaline which acts on many organs and tissues in the body.

  
  

  This system deals with short lived stress (acute).
• What is the para

  rest and digest

  
  

  Once the threat has passed the PNS returns the body to resting state.

  
  

  Acts as a break and reduces the activities of the body that were increased by the actions of the body the sympathetic branch.
• What is the link to evolution?

  The fight or flight response has been adapted from our ancestors that may have faced environment of evolutionary adaptiveness (EEA). However these may have been during energetic response e.g. facing a tiger.

  
  

  In modern term, stressors are related to sudden scares e.g. loosing money. There is a fight or flight response but no actions taken, leaving the body in a state of arousal which can cause problems for the body.
• What are the effects on the heart?

  High levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline have direct effects on the heart, linking to cardiovascular disease.

  
  

  For example, sympathetic arousal causes the heart to work faster, blood pressure is raised due to constriction of blood vessels. The release of adrenaline in response to stress can cause heart problems.
• Effects on the heart - What did Heidt et al do and find?


  He studied mice and also medical staff working in stressful intensive care wards.

  
  

  In cases where people had thickened arteries, the added stress lead to the increase of white blood cells, this caused inflammation and produce small wounds, the blood clotting proteins rush to fill this wound but that creases the clot that can lead to heart attacks.
• Evaluation - fight or flight

  Fight or flight is a universal psychological response, to an acute stressor in animals.

  
  

  Research is based on male animals avoiding females because of their hormone fluctuations.

  
  

  HOWEVER

  
  

  Taylor et al; the most adaptive stress response in females is tend and befriend. Our ancestors got over stress by nurturing offspring and helping other females.

  
  

  The hormone oxytocin helps females fight or flight response.
• What is cardiomyopathy? and how does it support the role of adrenaline in stress?

  Diseases of the heart muscles, where chambers in the heart become stretched, thickened, or stiff. This supports the role of adrenaline in stress, adrenaline speeds up the heart which can effect the hearts adrenal glands.