Factors That Affect The Nervous System ( Sns ) And Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal ( Hpa )

1. Dr. Sapolsky’s research in the Masai Mara National Park of Kenya involved collecting blood samples from baboons to measure hormones involved in the stress response. After anaesthetizing the baboon in an unassuming way (to avoid hormones produced from anticipatory stress) he collected blood samples from their bodies.

The nervous system uses sensory receptors, nerves and your brain to control your cells, and acts quickly. The endocrine system uses your circulatory system and hormones to care for your cells and acts more slowly. The reproductive system and endocrine systems use hormones to function. The nervous and endocrine systems are connected by sending information to the hypothalamus and uses the autonomic nervous system to transmit what activity needs to take place in the body. This activity might be what hormones are needed, or what sensations the body feels. While the nervous and endocrine systems send information to the hypothalamus, the reproductive system receives information from the hypothalamus. So all three systems do work together, although

A critique of “Ehrlich, David E, and Donald G Rainnie. 'Prenatal Stress Alters The Development Of Socioemotional Behavior And Amygdala Neuron Excitability In Rats '.

Childhood maltreatment is a prevalent problem through out the world. As a child grows and matures the brain continues to develop according its experiences. During this time sensitive periods of development for different areas of the brain. A few areas that are of interest are the stress-influenced areas, which are at an increased risk for developmental problems when exposed to maltreatment. The extra stress from such exposures can influence abnormalities throughout the brain, which have been linked to structure changes with in the corpus callosum, anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal, orbitofrontal cortex, and hippocampus, amygdala, and cerebellum, as well as changes to stress related hormone systems. These structural changes are associated with an increased risk of psychopathology and other life long educational and physiological risk.

Animals and Humans have a biological stress response intended to facilitate survival in the case of a life threatening attack or severe illness. This is commonly referred to the “fight or flight” response. Some primates, including humans have developed the unhealthy propensity to trigger this response for psychological or social reasons. Humans in particular experience the stress response exponentially more often for psychological reasons than for the purpose of survival (Stress, 2008). For example, we are may feel “stressed out” about work or school and if we think about it too much and get upset, we may experience a stress response Just by thinking about something that is bothering us, we can trigger the biological “fight or flight”

Childhood trauma affects many brain systems. The stress response system and its cosystems pay the greatest toll when a child experiences chronic threat. Taking a closer look at the

However, to understand the impact of adversity on young children’s development and learning, our genes supply the basic blueprint for brain development. “Thus, toxic stress in early childhood not only is a risk factor for later risky behavior but also can be a direct source of biological injury or disruption that may have lifelong consequences independent of whatever circumstances might follow later in life (Shonoff and Garner, 2012, page 238). Poverty, neglect, or family stress can make it especially difficult for young children to develop the self-discipline and habits of mind they will need to succeed in the classroom and beyond. Researchers have found that chronic, sustained stress, such as that caused by neglect, abuse, or deprivation,

Viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, in early times stress caused the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system resulting in an outpouring of the hormones epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucocorticoids that were essential to the life-preserving fight or flight reactions of primitive man (Anthony 1988). However, the nature of stress for the individual today is different. It is only occasionally and unexpectedly that one is confronted with overwhelming, life-threatening stresses. Present stresses arise from everyday stresses of work, finances and school. The problem is that the body still continues to respond in the same fashion as primitive times. This makes the large release of hormones very harmful. They can cause an increase in blood pressure, damage muscle tissue, lead to infertility, inhibit growth, damage the hippocampus and suppress the immune system (Carlson 1994). It is therefore, important that individuals learn to control the stresses in their lives. The more detrimental coping behaviors will cause a larger change

There is a well-established link between stress and ill-health. However, a gap in the literature reveals that the underlying mechanisms triggering the onset of ill-health are not fully understood. Numerous stress-ill-health theories believe that affect can mediate the effect of stress on physiological responses (Chida & Hamer, 2008). The aim in this study is to investigate the relationship between psychological aspects (mood, emotion, and coping) and sympathetic system responses to an acute stress challenge. Saliva samples will be collected from the participants before and after the acute stress challenge to calculate the presence of the enzyme

The ACE Study was designed to answer the question: “If risk factors for disease, disability, and early mortality are not randomly distributed, what early life influences precede the adoption or development of them (preventchildabuse.org)?” Adverse Childhood Experience does not evoke preconceived notions or biases about the perpetrators or victims of child abuse, domestic violence, or persons with mental health or substance abuse issues. The term “adverse” implies stress. However, the biologic stress response is largely responsible for the negative impact of ACEs on brain development. “Experiences” was the term chosen rather than “Environment” because the latter term can imply exposure to environmental toxins. As framed by the study, “Childhood” refers to the first 18 years of life (preventchildabuse.org).

Biologically, childhood maltreatment can have an effect on cortisol regulation (Alink, Cicchetti, Kim, and Rogosch, 2012). Cortisol is stress hormone produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis (Alink, et al., 2012). In response the stress, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is released by the hypothalamus (Alink, et al., 2012). The release of CRH triggers the pituitary gland to release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which then causes adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids (cortisol) (Alink, et al., 2012). The sensitivity of the HPA axis receptors may decrease or increase when stress is prolonged (Alink, et al., 2012).. This alteration is the HPA axis affects cortisol production, and

The anterior pituitary produces at least six different hormones. Each one is produced in response to a specific hypothalamic-releasing hormone.

These adaptive mechanisms can become maladaptive if unresolved after precipitating events have passed, leading to interferences in emotional regulation (Liston, McEwen, & Casey, 2009; Juster et al., 2011). Imaging studies show alterations in the brain structures that assist in regulation of the stress response—the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex—due to prolonged exposure to stress (Carrion et al. 2010; Rao et al. 2010). The over activation of this fear circuitry in the brain can lead to distorted processing, contributing to depression (Thienkrua et al., 2006; Neria, Besser, Kiper, & Westphal, 2010; Rao et al., 2010), anxiety (Derryberry and Reed, 2002; Goldin et al., 2009; Graham and Milad, 2014), and mood impairments (Kobasa, 1979; Linehan, 1993; Haller and Miles, 2004). These cognitive changes can also contribute to insomnia, chronic pain, addictive disorders, impairment of immunity, and development of coping mechanisms such as smoking, use of alcohol or drugs, overeating, and other survival mechanisms (Raja, 2012). The allostatic load of a chronically over-activated hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system can lead to development of comorbid health conditions such as cardiovascular disease,

Adverse childhood experiences, for one, can potentially cause extreme childhood trauma and lead to chronic stress. Overloading the Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA axis) has the ability to cause recurring complexities and sends the body into an overdrive-like state. Paul Tough describes it as, “Overloading the HPA axis, especially in infancy and childhood, produces all kinds of serious and long-lasting negative effects—physical, psychological, and neurological.” (Tough, 13).

According to the article, “Stress and Child Development” (2014) by Ross Thompson, stress is defined as “a complex psychobiological process with biological, emotional, mental, and behavioral consequences, all of which influence one another” (Thompson, 2014, p.46). Thompson’s research provided insight into helping children who suffer from stress, and cope with this stress through neurobiological processes, including two-generation and multi-generation intervention, which includes parents, teachers, relatives and grandparents or anyone who provides care for these children. Thompson’s research found that children who grow up in a loving environment are less stressful, and when confronted with stress, these children cope with stress better than children who live in a non-loving environment. Thompson suggested that stress is brought on when an individual feels threatened or when her or she feels surrounded by, or in immediate danger, thus, emphasizing how a child’s social experiences plays a key role in the development of a child’s neurological systems as well as his or her biological system (Thompson, 2014). Thompson’s research of Hurricane Katrina found that children whose parents could no longer provide care for their children faired much worse than children whose parents provided care, as it relates to stress. Thompson’s study of a Romanian orphanage found that the sooner a child was adopted into a loving environment, the sooner a child learned how to cope and