PSYD33H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Epigenome, Physical Abuse, Fetus
Lecture #6 – Neurology of Stress/Stress & Health (Contd.) | Prenatal Stress &
Mental Health
o Major life events can be stressful, including getting married or having a
baby.
o The social determinants of health are the causes of the causes.
o Social determinants of health, including but not limited to poverty,
growing up without parents, etc., can become chronic stressors.
Furthermore, they can have an impact on the physiology of stress early in
life. These changes in physiology may be permanent and pass down to
the next generation.
o Physiological responses are dynamic and change over time. They don’t
stay static in one person. They can intense or abate, depending on how
good one is at coping.
o Coping strategies come from the programs that we were part of as kids,
from social support, etc.
o The brain is the central mediator of the stress response.
o The deregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, or in other
words, the continuous activation of the “fight or flight response”, throws
everything off. e.g., Cognitive function may be dysregulated because
massive secretions of stress hormones access receptors and change brain
morphology.
o Humans try to achieve stability and/or adapt during change. Many bodily
systems shut themselves down momentarily during acute stress. However,
when the stress response system is activated chronically, adapting
becomes harder. We tend to wear and tear the bodily systems and build
an allostatic load, throwing off our ability to turn the stress response off,
and thus, becoming vulnerable to adverse physical and mental health
outcomes.
o There is a big melting pot of factors that interact with each other in
complex, bi-directional ways, which decides the outcome or threshold in
one any moment in time.
o Some people are born with genetic predispositions that render them at
high risk for the development of mental illness. In other words, it wouldn’t
take a lot to trigger changes in physiology that may produce symptoms of
a mental disorder.
o For those at low risk for the development of mental illness, toxic or chronic
stress can enhance the risk.
Prenatal
o Prenatal stress occurs through the mom during pregnancy.
o The fetus prepares for life. The stress response system, more specifically, is
altered to cope with what might be expected, e.g., the stresses of
poverty.
o If stress to the mother is severe enough, it affects the fetus, with each
period of development having differential effects. i.e., There are critical
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Document Summary
Lecture #6 neurology of stress/stress & health (contd. ) Furthermore, they can have an impact on the physiology of stress early in life. These changes in physiology may be permanent and pass down to the next generation: physiological responses are dynamic and change over time. Many bodily systems shut themselves down momentarily during acute stress. However, when the stress response system is activated chronically, adapting becomes harder. Prenatal: prenatal stress occurs through the mom during pregnancy, the fetus prepares for life. The stress response system, more specifically, is altered to cope with what might be expected, e. g. , the stresses of poverty. Early childhood: stresses in early childhood include, physical abuse, neglect, a lack of stability, the absence of secure relationships, few friends, no support, family dysfunction, poor coping strategies, bullying. Illness: attachment and the bond that occurs between a mother and her child are incredibly important for healthy development.
