Psychology 2032A/B Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Electrodermal Activity, Autonomic Nervous System, Behaviorism
16 Feb 2019
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The Neuroendocrine System
•
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
(
HPA
) = central to the body’s response to
stress, and stress
figures prominently in many psyc disorders
•
Hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) when faced with
threat
•
CRF communicates with the pituitary gland, releases hormone that travels to
adrenal gland
•
Adrenal cortex promotes the release of hormone cortisol – the stress hormone
o Takes 20-40 minutes for cortisol release to peak
o Takes up to an hour for cortisol levels to return to baseline
•
Autonomic nervous system
(
ANS
) = operates very quickly, without our awareness,
beyond voluntary
control
o Innervates the endocrine glands, the hearth, and smooth muscles
o
1)
Sympathetic NS
= prepares body for fight/flight (heart rate,
dilates pupils, inhibits
intestinal activity, increases electrodermal
activity)
o 2) Parasympathetic NS = helps calm down the body
o
Involved in anxiety
disorders (panic, PTSD)
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Psychoneuroimmunology = studies how psychological factors impact the
immune system
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Immune system contains many cells and proteins that respond when the body is
infected/invaded
•
Natural immunity
= body’s first and quickest line of defense
against infections
microorganisms/invaders *releases
cells on invaders to destroy them
o Results in inflammation/swelling
o Cytokines = help initiate bodily responses to infection (fatigue, fever,
activation of HPA axis)
Release of cytokines stimulated by activation of macrophages (cell
released)
•
Specific immunity
= cells respond more slowly to infection (lymphocytes
t-
helper and b cells),
involved in responding to specific pathogens or invading
agents
o T-helper cells promote the release of cytokines
o B cells release antibodies
•
Stress directly effects the immune system (prenatal stress can even affect her
offspring)
•
Interlukin-6
= cytokine that promotes inflammation in response to infection,
linked to human
diseases and psyc disorders (MDD)
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Exposure to stress also slows process of wound healing
•
Risk of harmful immune response to stress
increases with age
Neuroscience Approaches to
