PSYCH 330 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Adrenal Medulla, Sympathetic Nervous System, Mineralocorticoid
6 Nov 2018
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Document Summary
Hypothalamus stimulates adrenal medulla to secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine. Cortisol mobilizes stored glucose to raise available circulating glucose levels. Takes minutes to be released and hours to be cleared away. Cortisol binds to receptors in hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Oxytocin released during lactation, physical/social contact w/loved ones. Social support can decrease the stress response. Repeated activation of stress response can cause health problems. Chronic environmental stress in polar bears associated with decreasing cortisol levels. Associated with lower cortisol levels and hpa axis set point. Mechanism for alerted set point may be changes in #s of. Women release more crh and cortisol than men. Can be manipulated by changing concentrations of testosterone or estrogen. Women"s stress response varies across menstrual cycle. May be related to - feedback sensitivity decreasing with age. Dominant males recover from stress more rapidly. Rat pups that experience high levels of maternal care show decreased stress response in later life.
