BBH 311- L4 Practice Questions and Correct Answers
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Course
BBH 311
Institution
BBH 311
Interactions among Brain (Stress) and Immune System How often have you heard the saying "He died of a broken heart after his wife passed away," or "All this stress is killing me!"? Have you ever wondered exactly how it is that our mind and feelings can affect our health? It turns out that there is ...
BBH 311- L4 Practice Questions and
Correct Answers
Interactions among Brain (Stress) and Immune System ✅How often have you heard
the saying "He died of a broken heart after his wife passed away," or "All this stress is
killing me!"? Have you ever wondered exactly how it is that our mind and feelings can
affect our health?
It turns out that there is an intricate communication pathway between our brain (which is
responsible for our feelings of distress) and our immune system, which is responsible
for keeping us healthy and protected from disease.
Immune Cell Signaling Chemicals
The brain and immune system use signaling chemicals to communicate with one
another. Chemicals produced by immune cells signal the brain, and the brain in turn
sends chemical signals to help restrain the immune system.
Thus begins an intricate and delicate dance between the brain and immune system to
keep us healthy and alive. When released, these chemicals affect our behavior and
responses to stress.
Communication Disruption
Communication between the brain and immune system can be disrupted in many ways,
including exposure to drugs or toxic substances, surgery, or inherited and genetic
factors.
Disruption of this critical communication network can exacerbate the diseases that
these systems guard against, including mood disorders (anxiety, depression), infections
(influenza, shingles), inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (Lupus, Crohn's disease,
inflammatory bowel disease).
The stress system is activated in threatening situations, whereas the immune system is
activated to destroy pathogens and foreign molecules. The immune system responds
automatically to pathogens and foreign molecules to destroy invaders.
These two response systems are the body's principal means for maintaining an internal
steady state called homeostasis.
Homeostasis ✅Homeostasis is a self-regulating process where biological systems
work to maintain stability or balance under changing conditions to achieve optimal
states of health and well-being. In the context of stress and immune function, these two
systems work together to ensure a continued state of physiological balance.
When homeostasis is disturbed or threatened, a repertoire of molecular, cellular and
behavioral responses comes into play. These responses attempt to counteract the
disturbing forces in order to reestablish a steady state.
Stress System and Dysregulation ✅The stress system is responsible for our
biobehavioral responses to the challenges and stressors we face in our lives and is
, designed to enhance our survival. Initially proposed by the physiologist Walter Cannon
in the early 1900s, the "fight-or-flight" response is an evolved biobehavioral response
designed to help us survive when we are threatened.
Designed to stimulate a rapid biobehavioral response and help us fight or flee a threat,
our sympathetic nervous system is activated. This nervous system activation results in a
release of hormones into our blood stream that trigger multiple biological systems to
help us flee or fight the threat.
Now, with regard to homeostasis and brain-immune system communication, it is
important to note that the biobehavioral stress response must be regulated.
Dysregulation of the stress response results in the development and progression of
disease, including anxiety, depression, heart disease, and diabetes.
The video, "Long Term Effects of Stress on Your Body
(Links to an external site.)
Links to an external site.
", describes the serious effects of stress, and how it can lead to disease. Perhaps you
know someone among your friends or family who was impacted by stress in this way.
Immune System and Dysregulation ✅It is the job of our immune system to bar foreign
pathogens from the body and recognize and destroy those that penetrate its shield. The
immune system also must neutralize potentially dangerous toxins, facilitate repair of
damaged or worn tissues and dispose of abnormal cells. Immune responses are so
powerful that they require constant regulation or else illness and disease - even death -
can result.
When the immune system escapes regulation; this can result in (1) autoimmune (e.g.,
systemic lupus erythematosus) or inflammatory disease (arthritis), or (2) immune
deficiency syndromes.
Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic and usually fatal systemic disease
characterized by pathological changes in the vascular system, especially the collagen
which is a binding substance for capillaries and small blood vessels (rash, butterfly,
fever, arthritis, signs of renal and lung and heart involvement).
The etiology of SLE is unknown, yet the incidence is highest in females between
puberty and menopause. Interestingly, administration of the stress hormone,
corticosteroids, often is helpful in treating SLE symptoms.
Immune Deficiency Syndromes
Immunodeficiency diseases occur when the body cannot mount a strong enough
immune response. Primary immunodeficiency disorders are usually present at birth and
typically are hereditary. There are more than 100 of these disorders and they are
relatively rare.
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