Term Paper on "Effect of Drugs on Stress Perception and Stress Adaptation"
Term Paper 4 pages (1426 words) Sources: 5 Style: APA
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Drugs on Stress Perception and Stress AdaptationThis paper addresses the dual effects of drugs and stress: drugs may change the perception of stress or activities under stress, and drugs affect adaptation to stress. The brain under stress functions in a highly active, yet limited capacity. This "flight or fight" mechanism is referred to as "stressors" and is divided into three categories: external conditions that result in pain or discomfort, internal homeostatic disturbances, and learned or associative responses to the perception of impending endangerment, pain and discomfort, known as "psychological stress." Drugs may change how the brain works to either effect a more stressful, restricted situation or to allow for more flexibility in its activity.
Stress may make a person alert, but it also restricts the activities of the mind and body. A study done at Ohio State University finds that taking a common drug, a beta-blocker sold as Inderal and by other generic names, restores the mental flexibility that disappears when stress takes over the brain. Inderal restores problem-solving ability in people under stress. The findings were reported in 2005 at the Society for Neuroscience in Washington. A group of people made about 40% fewer correct answers on a test after watching a stressful movie than they did after watching a comedy film, yet memory was not affected.
This suggests that stress affects mental problem-solving functions by activating a specific part of the brain and beta blockers slow this process. Other-stress-inducing tests produced the same results. Test scores were consistently worse following stressful situations than after stress-free situat
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Mind-altering drugs are affected by stress in sometimes unpredictable ways. Overpowering noise creates stress, and this stress enhances "recreational" drugs. As many nightclub fans know, loud music enhances the effects of taking the drug ecstasy. In a study in Italy with results appearing in the journal BMC Neuroscience, Class -- a drugs were given to laboratory rats and the rats were exposed to rave music at the decibel level commonly found in clubs. Researchers found that not only does the loud noise prolong the effects of ecstasy by up to five days, but noise and ecstasy together may damage nerve pathways in the brain. They found, by measuring electrical activity in the rodents' brains, that without the music, brain activity returned to normal in just one day. Dr. Michelangelo Iannone, from the Institute of Neurological Science in Catanzaro, Italy, stressed the potential danger of substances popularly accepted as safe owing to their supposedly short-term effects (Tait, para. 12).
Drugs can alter perceptions of stress. Psychoactive drugs affect the connections between neurons in the brain - synapses - where chemical messages jump from one neuron to the next. Drugs interfere with this transmission, affecting perception of what is happening. Brain activity depends on electrical impulses traveling along nerve cells with chemical messages jumping between them. An electric spark triggers a neuron to release a chemical at a neurotransmitter, which affects the synapse, causing it to lock to a second neuron, causing the second neuron to fire. When the first neuron reabsorbs the chemical, the firing stops. Mood-altering drugs, such as ecstasy and Prozac, stop the neurotransmitter from reabsorbing serotonin, creating a concentration in the synapse and aiding the firing process. Serotonin levels are strongly linked with mood and emotion, with resulting euphoria (Maes, p. 313).
Drugs used to medicate illnesses may be suppressed or enhanced by stress, as immune systems are very much affected by stress, depending on the nature of the stressor and immune variables. There is a possibility that psychological stress may affect the production of pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines, which in turn affect homeostatic responses to stress and stress-induced anxiety (Maes, et al. p. 313).
The effects of stress on drugs such as interleukin (IL)-1 receptor ® antagonist (a), soluble (s) IL-2R, sIL-6R, soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130) have been studied. In one study stress, such as the stress… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Effect of Drugs on Stress Perception and Stress Adaptation" Assignment:
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ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS
*****¢ Your assignment is to write a critical literature review pertaining to stress and adaptation.
*****¢ CHOSEN TOPIC: Effect of drugs on stress perception and stress adaptation
CONSULT THIS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A LITERATURE REVIEW: http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html
Grading criteria are based on the following:
*****¢ clearly stated objectives and focused questions (i.e., clear purpose statement)
*****¢ critical analysis/evaluation of content area
*****¢ coherent, clear integration and synthesis of the literature
(summary of main findings, methodologies, research questions; alternative explanations for empirical/theoretical discrepancies, such as methodological/ theoretical limitations)
*****¢ messages about stress and coping
(what is emphasized? gaps in images/descriptions/perspectives? who/what not included?)
*****¢ clarity, proper grammar, correct usage of language, absence of typos, etc.
*****¢ following all other requirements outlined below!
The key focus should be on moving beyond a mere description to a critical analysis. Your grade will be based on how well you can synthesize and integrate the theoretical and empirical literature.
The following examples of data bases may be used to search for articles: PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Service Abstracts, Medline, CINAHL, AgeLine, ERIC. You can also use: http://scholar.google.com.
The paper should be between 1000 and 1500 words (4-6 pages) (typed, double spaced, 12-point font, 1***** margins) and it must rely on at least five (5) peer-reviewed academic journal articles. These should be recent references (at least since 1999). This DOES NOT include newspapers, or magazines (e.g., Newsweek, Psychology Today), "pop" self-help books, or textbooks. A formal essay style ("I") may be used with correct APA referencing.
Please consult the APA Publication Manual (5th edition) for correct referencing: http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html.
The following contains an excellent summary of the APA style with relevant examples:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
See also Psychology with Style--a hypertext APA-based writing guide by Dr. M. Plonsky, U. of Wisconsin: http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm.
DO NOT USE DIRECT QUOTES ANYWHERE IN THE PAPER! PLEASE CAREFULLY PARAPHRASE ALL WORK. DIRECTLY QUOTED MATERIAL WILL NOT BE GRADED!
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** ATTACH FIRST PAGE OF ALL JOURNAL ARTICLES/BOOK CHAPTERS USED **
Note: Clarity, proper grammar, correct usage of language, and a consistent APA referencing format are expected on the written assignment.
Include a title page with your name, student number, course number, section number, and the professor's name listed on it. Staple your paper in the top left-hand corner.
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How to Reference "Effect of Drugs on Stress Perception and Stress Adaptation" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Effect of Drugs on Stress Perception and Stress Adaptation.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/drugs-stress-perception-adaptation/83206. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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