Physiology of stress and its integration into the nervous and endocrine system.
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Currently stress can be defined as the linking mechanism between a stressor and its target organ, resulting in a psychophysiological response, characterized by glucocorticoids release.
The stress response is mediated by two interrelated systems, these are: The sympathetic-adrenomedular system (SAM) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system (HPA). The SAM system is a region of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, which releases adrenaline from the adrenal medulla; on the other hand, the HPA axis is responsible for the production of glucocorticoids.
The primary objective of this review is to define and classify stress and to indicate the stress most affected system as a secondary objective. Finally, we will indicate the effect of stress on memory and the relationship between stress and weight gain.
The stress response can occur with the activation of different physiological pathways, one with immediate effects, the second with intermediate effects and the last one called chronic stress.
After being stimulated by stressful events, HPA causes the elevation of glucocorticoids that stimulate food intake, particularly high-calorie foods, this intake can be used by individuals as a method of coping with stress and leading to obesity finally.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The authors grant the Editorial Comitte of Revista Medico Cientifica the right to publish this article in it. Also, they state that this manuscript has not been published prevously.