PSYC30020 Lecture Notes - Lecture 21: Cognitive Flexibility, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Schizophrenia
10 May 2018
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Lecture 21
- The brain and mind is an integrated system including GENES, NEURONS,
INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETY
- Stress is a response to a perceived aversive or threatening situation
- Associated with feelings of being overloaded, wound-up, tight, tense, and worried.
We all experience stress at times
- Stress can be positive - exciting, motivating, improving alertness and performance
- Stress can also be harmful for health and function
- A critical component of a stress experience is the real or perceived lack of control
over the stressor
- Thrill seekers are often attracted to “calculate risks” with some but not total control of
the risk
- Complete lack of control is generally experienced very negatively
- “Threat” of bad events without control is enough
- Acute stress: Represents a single event that leads to increased “flight or fight”
response raising levels of arousal.
- Episodic Acute stress: Repeated (but independent) acute stress often reflect a
personality type that either cause their own stress (leading overcommitted chaotic
lives) or worry more than they should about normal events.
- Chronic stress: Seemingly endless and uncontrollable
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- Effects of acute stress on brain: Stress response involves intricate interactions
between the brain and body.
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- Optimal performance requires a balance. Function is impaired with too little or too
much stress (inverted U).
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- Moderate levels of stress = aroused & optimal functioning of the PFC allowing top-
down regulation of thought, actions & emotions
- High stress = arousal increases further overwhelming/impairing function of prefrontal
cortex & releasing/increasing the influence of emotional responses, habitual action
and bodies arousal response
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- Effect of chronic stress on brain:
- Within the brain the following long-term changes are associated with chronic stress:
- → Amygdala (important in mood) the number & strength of neural connections
increases
- → Hippocampus (important for memory storage) number & strength of neural
connections reduces (more cell death & less neurogenesis).
- → Prefrontal cortex (important in “executive function) number & strength of neural
connections reduces.
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- Exposure to stressors causes chemical changes in the brain that impair higher
cognitive functions why strengthening “primitive” brain reactions.
- People become more emotionally reactive with impaired rational thinking.
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
The brain and mind is an integrated system including genes, neurons, Stress is a response to a perceived aversive or threatening situation. Associated with feelings of being overloaded, wound-up, tight, tense, and worried. Stress can be positive - exciting, motivating, improving alertness and performance. Stress can also be harmful for health and function. A critical component of a stress experience is the real or perceived lack of control over the stressor. Thrill seekers are often attracted to calculate risks with some but not total control of the risk. Complete lack of control is generally experienced very negatively. Acute stress: represents a single event that leads to increased flight or fight . Threat of bad events without control is enough response raising levels of arousal. Episodic acute stress: repeated (but independent) acute stress often reflect a personality type that either cause their own stress (leading overcommitted chaotic lives) or worry more than they should about normal events.
