Passive and an Active Stress Response - Essay Example

Passive and an Active Stress Response The essay aims to address a two-fold objective to wit to discuss the difference between a passive and an active stress response; and (2) to explain further the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis and behavioral differences using animal models and information from other sources. Passive and an Active Stress Response Introduction “I’m so stressed” every now and then we heard that statement, but the question is “What is the real meaning of the word stress?

” Stress takes place when an individual has difficulty dealing with problems, obstacles, disappointments, or any other life situations that affect the activities of daily living. Each person has different reactions and techniques in coping with stress. The body and mind is also affected with stress. Stress is the wear and tear that life causes to our body. Hans Selye an endocrinologist studied the different physiologic aspects of stress which he called the (GAS) General Adaptation Syndrome. In Selye’s experiment, he uses laboratory animals to assess biologic system changes and found out the mind’s emotional responses to stress (Videbeck, 2008, p. 242). Passive and Active Stress Response The journal made by Laiolo in 2009 about the effect of capture and handling on free-living red-billed choughs Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax discusses the association between bird behavioral response, individual’s health, sex, breeding status and age.

In addition, active responses for the birds are common during breeding period like screaming, creating sounds and being aggressive compare to an individual, if the characteristics are present like being aggressive meaning it indicates poor physiological condition, or high/ chronic stress. Similarly, sex, age, and condition are also different in active responses to stress. For instance, adult people were more aggressive than younger ones. Also, women were considering more aggressive compared to men.

Active stress responses are seemed to be more susceptible to stress and can cause stress life event. In contrast, passive stress response and silent individuals are less prone in handling stress life situations (Laiolo, 2009, n.p.). Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis The Limbic System is an area of the brain located above the brain stem that includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. The hypothalamus is involved in temperature regulation, appetite control, endocrine function, sexual drive, and impulsive behavior associated with feelings of anger, fun and excitement (Videbeck, 2008, p.20). How HPA Axis helps our bodies to handle stressful life events?

According to Edwards and Guillams (2010) stress is define as the “state of threatened homeostasis and disharmony” that must be solve by “adaptive stress response” a behavioral responses to stress. The stress system is the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis and the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS). The actions of regulatory centers and the hormones are greatly affected by genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. When the hypothalamus is activated by a stressor, corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) also called corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) causing secretion of arginine vasopressin (AVP) and production of adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) from posterior pituitary gland then the activation of noradrenergic neurons of norepinephrine (NE) system in the brain.

The NE is responsible for activation of the “fight or flight” response driven by norepinephrine and epinephrine, while ACTH is take charge in the production of cortisol from the adrenal cortex. In normal conditions, the production of CRH and ACTH increases in a predictable circadian cycle and inhibited by high levels of blood cortisol through negative feedback loop. HPA axis can be monitored, cortisol a glucocorticoid hormone or a form of sugar are found in most tissues. For instance is the stress response in general, cortisol shunt cellular processes away from long-term metabolic processes and the main function is on immediate survival and maintaining homeostasis.

HPA axis dysregulation can cause chronic and repeated stressors. HPA axis is triggered by non-physical events such as grief, excitement, fear, anxiety, guilt and embarrassment (Edwards & Guilliams, 2010, n.p.). Behavioral Differences using Animal Models The article made by Walsh in 2010 discusses about Hans Selye’s experiment on stress which was inflicted on rats by injecting the rats with hormones or chemicals, creating surgical incisions and exposing the animals to very heat or very cold temperature.

Hans identified three stages of reaction to stress; the first one is the Alarm Stage in which after six to forty eight hours of experiment, the rats showed a rapid decrease in terms of the size of the thymus, spleen, lymph glands, and liver. The rats also exhibited from loss of fat and muscle tone and fall of body temperature. The second stage of reaction to stress is the Resistance Stage, in which within two days of the experiment Hans Selye found out that the adrenal glands were still enlarged, but there are some cortical lipoids and there were still a large number of hormones that produces cells in the pituitary gland.

On the other hand, the growth of the body stopped and gonads become atrophic. In the Exhaustion Stage, the rats are unable to maintain their stress defenses and started to develop symptoms the same in the alarm stage (Walsh, 2010, n.p.). Selye continues the experiment on animals stress by giving repeated doses of drug for 1-3 months and found out that the rats build up resistance to every stress while the organs appeared to be normal. Conclusion Stress is normal. It is one of ingredients of our life and it depends on each individual on how to deal with the problem.

The key for stress management is having a balanced life, such as work, relationships, and pleasure. Also take control of feelings, thoughts and emotions. References Edwards, L. & Guilliams T.G. (2010). Chronic Stress and the HPA Axis: Clinical Assessment and Therapeutic Considerations. The Standard (2): 1-12. Laiolo, P. (2009). Behavior and stress response during capture and handling of red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax (Aves: Corvidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society (4): 846-855.

Videbeck, S.L. (2008). Anxiety and Stress-Related Illness. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (4th ed.) (p. 241-262). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Videbeck, S.L. (2008). Neurobiologic Theories and Psychopharmacology. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (4th ed.) (p.18-39). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. Walsh, K. (2010, February 22). Hans Selye’s Experiment on Rats. Psychology News, n.p. Retrieved on November 25, 2011 from http://www.alevelpsychology.co.uk/as-psychology-aqa-a/biological-psychology/stress/hans-selye-s-experiment-on-rats.html.