Biological Aspects of Health - Assignment Example

Bio-Psychology Biological Aspects of Health an Disease By Topic: s Department TAQ 2: Identify the areas of function (i.e. which bits do what) and use up to date information plus historical evidence to identify one abnormal behaviour that could be caused by brain damage. Critically evaluate the evidence. The brain forms a vital organ for the central nervous system and the spinal cord (Fristone, et al., 2004). These organs coordinate all the communications and functions of all humans. The human brain is structured in three main parts – the cerebrum (cortex), cerebellum and the brain stem (Fristone, et al., 2004). The cerebrum is further subdivided into the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and occipital lobe which perform specific functions (Sherwood, 2008). Frontal lobe controls a number of functions which include the intellect, behaviour, attention, judgement, creative thinking, abstract thinking, smell, personality, muscle movement, physical reactions and coordinated movements. Damage to frontal lobe can lead to sequencing from lack to plan a sequence of complex movements (Sherwood, 2008). Parietal lobe is located in the cerebral hemisphere. The parietal lobe emphasises on comprehensions. Among other functions include reading, language recognition, tactile sensation, internal stimuli, and sensory comprehensions. The parietal lobe is further comprised of the sensory cortex and the motor cortex (Carter, 2014). The sensory cortex is located in the frontal portion of the parietal lobe. It receives information from the spinal cord regarding the positions of the body parts to relay information as sense of touch, pressure or pain. The motor cortex, on the other hand, assists the brain in monitoring and controlling movements in the body. Parietal lobe damage leads to anosmia (inability to name objects), alexia (reading difficulties) or dyscalculia (mathematic phobia) (Carter, 2014). Temporal lobe controls the auditory and visual memories. It manages such functions of hearing, speech, language and behaviour elements. It comprises of Wernicke’s area formed around auditory cortex that assists in the speech. Damage to temporal lobe can lead prosopagnosia and Wernicke’s aphasia (Sherwood, 2008). Occipital lobe contains the broca’s area from the inferior frontal gyrus, which controls the facial neurons to assists the brain to control vision. Damage to the occipital lobe can lead to visual fields and colour agnosia. Cerebellum is often referred as the little brain and is older than the cortex. It controls essential body functions including posture, balance, and coordination to help humans maintain their body structures. Losses of ability to walk and coordinate fine movements are some of the danger experience from a damaged cerebellum. Brain stem controls all the basic life functions like breathing, blood pressure, and heart beats. It includes the medulla, midbrain, and pons. The medulla oblongata maintains the vital body functions such as breathing and heart rates. The midbrain helps to regulate the body movement, hearing and vision and pons links to cerebellum to assists in posture and movement. Insomnia and vertigo are some of the consequences for a damaged brain stem (Sherwood, 2008). TAQ 3: 1. Flow Diagram Looking at the idea of stress and how this affects the brain and body, provide a flow diagram to explain the fight or flight response in a series of steps, paying particular attention to the hypothalamus. According to Lewis, et al. (2014), hypothalamus in the brain acts as a stress response. Stress response triggers, signals to the pituitary gland, and the adrenal medulla. Hypothalamic Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) system regulates the long term stress, while the Fight or Flight Response from via the Sympathomedullary Pathway (SAM) produces short term stress responses. (Lewis, et al., 2014). i. The stressor activates the Hypothalamic Pituitary Axis ii. The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland iii. The pituitary gland secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) iv. The hormone corticosteroid is produced by adrenal glands stimulated by ACTH v. Cortisol enables the body to maintain steady supplies of blood sugar vi. Adequate blood sugar levels cope with the prolonged stressor, to stabilise the body to normal conditions. vii. The adrenal cortex releases cortisol, which releases stored glucose from the liver (for energy) and control swelling after injury. When this happens, the immune system is suppressed. 2. Present a summary describing the process of hormone secretion from the hypothalamus during the stress response Stress is the altered states of external and internal forces (stressors) on the dynamic equilibrium of an organism. The adaptive reactions in response to these alterations include both behavioural and physical (Lehreh, Woolfolk, and Sime, 2007). A systematic reaction called stress system is developed by the brain once a certain threshold is exceeded to fight the forces and shift back to the homeostasis. It involves peripheral components, autonomic sympathetic system and the hypothalamus-pituitary –adrenal axis (HPA) (Lehreh, Woolfolk, and Sime, 2007).Stress triggers neurons in the hypothalamus to release CRH. Corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) is then transported to the pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH then stimulates the adrenal cortex. A negative feedback system is in play to keep the system in balance. Hypothalamus is triggered by high cortisol levels to reduce CRH production, to lowers ACTH and cortisol levels (Lewis, et al., 2014). TAQ 4 Design and write a leaflet as part of the presentation to your peers on the effect of drugs on behaviour, with particular reference to stimulant and depressants. The use of stimulants and depressants has increased over time. This has been demonstrated despite the negative consequences eminent with their uptake. Stimulants are drugs or substances that induce temporary improvement in physical or mental functions by increasing the central nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system activities (DuPont, 2013). They include MDMA, NDRIs, cocaine, caffeine, and nicotine. Stimulants are often used to boost endurance, counteract fatigue, improve mood, or provide relief from pain or anxiety. They are used to treat conditions like ADHD and depressions. The high risk of their abuse and repeated use disrupts the brain from normal functioning of the brain to produce dopamine leading to increase in arousals, locomotion, blood pressure and increased heart rates. Repeated use and abuse often lead to addiction, drug tolerance, withdrawal, and sensitization (Dupont, 2013). Depressants, which are often referred as downers are chemical compounds that manipulate neurotransmission levels in the brain to reduce arousals and stimulations. They produce a calming effect to anxiety, pain relief, and somnolence. They include alcohol, cannabis, barbiturates and benzodiazepines (DuPont, 2013). Depressants trigger the brain to reduce production of GABA- neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid to enact calmness in the nervous system leading to decrease in arousals, locomotion, blood pressure and increased heart rates. Repeated use and abuse often lead to addiction, drug tolerance, withdrawal, and sensitization (DuPont, 2013). TAQ 5: Using all the information from the units as well as your own research, write a short essay under the title: “In Western societies, if you have a professional job, then you expect to be under an abnormal amount of stress, and there is nothing that can be done about it. That is just the way it is.” The western economies are the most vibrant economies in the world. Companies and firms strive to outdo each other in a cut thrift competition. Work place pressure is on the rise, as a result, of changing economic conditions and business environment, changing customer expectations, changing roles and positions in the organization (Calnan and Wainwright, 2002). Establishing a client base and increasing the profit margins are some of the contributing factors to these phenomena. The demands from the workplace environment have been attributed to job stress to the workers and employees of these firms. In the western world, there exists an epidemic of an overly stressed workforce. Among the four key sources of workplace stress in the working population are encountering stressors, situational stressors time stressors and anticipatory stressors (Seaward, 2011). These factors overlap and entwine to influence both work and personal interactions. The working population in the Western Societies is faced with various challenges while in the workplace environment (Calnan and Wainwright, 2002). The increased competition, globalisation, job security, loans, new technology, caring for the family and relative, outsourcing of jobs along with increased demand of the employer for increased production. These factors present pressure to the employees in at different firms. Despite the demands to cope to meet the deadline and the set targets of their employers, the workers are also expected to adapt to the cultural changes of the organisation, attend meetings, and think innovatively to secure their positions. These all situations are stressors that create hindrances to the performance and reduce productivity of an employee to the organisation. Over the past decades, a drastic increase of job stress has been realised in the western cultures. According to Calnan and Wainwright (2002), Britain had an estimated 550,000 people believed to have been affected by stress in 1995. Absenteeism from work was the principal component emanated from people faced with work related stress (Behar, 2014). Stress led to the development of fatigue, depression, and mental health related issues. The harmful physical and emotional response resulting from a poor match between job demands and the workers capabilities, resources and the needs of the clients is referred as job stress (Seaward, 2011). Excellent organizations would take necessary care and exercise extreme prudence and foresight about job related stresses. In their own substantial interests, the firms would take very good care of their employees, fulfil their needs, work to cope to their problems, value them, and invest in them (Choudhury, 2012). However, in western societies, finding such a firm is as rare as gold. Overly stressed people present numerous adverse effects. On a vast scale, stress causes health, financial and psychological challenges. Thus, the need to emphasize effective stress management techniques for managers and individuals is significant. In most western based companies with dynamic dimensions, positive management and leadership ought to be implemented. The implementation of positivity will help in a gradual transition and adoption to the global market for both the employees and firm (Behar, 2014). In conclusion, occupational stress has negatively impacted organizations for decades. Productivity is adversely affected by workplace stress (Seaward, 2011). Stressed workforce are less productive and costly to the company or firm; they have the option of laying off stressed, unproductive workers to replace them with fresh, energetic workforce with innovative and creative minds (Choudhury, 2012) . Thus as the topic of this paper suggest - professionals in the western society work force experience enormous amounts of stress, and there is nothing that can be done about it – is the correct hypothesis for the professional employees. A professional employee thus has to adopt mechanisms to cope with the pressure to minimize work related stresses. In the most basic view, an employee ought to identify the stressors, analyse it and evaluate a combat measure on how to tackle each stressor. Often, playing within the rules is the most appropriate measure to tackle most jobs related stresses. Beating the deadline and ensuring the set targets are met as required by the firm (Choudhury, 2012). Employees must be organised, manage time, set priorities and recognise the limits, know the organisation expectations, maintain focus, dialogue with the supervisors, and share the workload with relevant fellows to ensure no or reduced work related stresses (Seaward, 2011). References Behar, D., 2014. The Stress ‘epidemic’ at work. The Daily Mail: Mail online. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-18951/The-stress-epidemic-work.html. Accessed on 19th June, 2014. Carter, R., 2014. The Human Brain Book. Dk Pub. Choudhury, K., 2012. Managing Workplace Stress: The Cognitive Behavioural Way. London: Springer. DuPont, R. L., 2013. The Selfish Brain: Learning from Addiction. Minnesota: Hazelden Publishing. Friston, K. J., Frith, C. D., Dolan, R. J., Price, C. J., Zeki, S., Ashburner, J. T., Penny, W. D., 2004. Human Brain Function. London: Academic Press. Lehrer, P. M., Woolfolk, R. L., & Sime, W.E., 2007. Principles and Practice of Stress Management. 3rd. New York: Guilford Press. Lewis, S. L., Dirksen, S. R., Heitkemper, M. M., & Bucher, L., 2013. Medical-Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. London: Elsevier Health Science and Technology of Oxford. Seaward, B., 2011. Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Sherwood, L., 2008. Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems. 7th. London: Cengage Learning. Wainwright, D., & Calnan, M., 2002. Work Stress: The Making of a Modern Epidemic. Open University Press. Read More