PSYC 2012 Lecture 35: 12/1/17
Document Summary
Caring for an ailing parent or spouse. It produces adaptive changes that help an animal or person respond to the current stressor and to future stressors. Chronic, or severe stress, however, often produces maladaptive changes to the brain and body. Whether a particular stimulus is stressful or not depends upon a person"s interpretation of the stimulus, their coping abilities, and their support system. Sympathetic nervous system - the rapid neural response that increases bodily arousal. The locus coeruleus - part of the reticular activating system, neural response that increases cognitive arousal. The hypothalamic/pituitary/adrenal (hpa) axis - more long-term hormonal response. Key point: neuroendocrine responses to stress start in the emotional circuit of the brain. Sensory information is received from the outside world - the smell of smoke, a sight of a bear, the roar of a mountain lion. This information is sent to the amygdala and to the pfc and the cc, which also provide feedback to the amygdala.
