Examtests with the 3rd edition of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping by Sapolsky

What basic principles of human functioning are important? - ExamTests 1

Questions

Question 1

What is allostase?

Question 2

Which of the following is no function of the biological 'fight or flight' stress response?

1. Limiting damage
2. Transporting oxygen to the muscles
3. Causing negative emotions
4. Saving energy by suppressing unnecessary bodily activities

Question 3

During the stress response the sympathetic nervous system is active / deactivated and the parasympathetic nervous system is active / deactivated.

Answer indication

1. Allostase is a balanced state of the body. Attaining the state of allostase in the body happens through the secretion of stress hormones and mediators by the brain.
2. C.
3. Active, deactivated.

What happens in the body during a stress response? - ExamTests 2

Answers

Question 1

From an evolutionary perspective, what does one try to do in the case of a stress response?

Question 2

True or untrue: The adrenal gland is responsible for excreting adrenalin.

Question 3

What order of events is correct?

1. CRH > ACTH > cortisol
2. ACTH > CRH > cortisol
3. ACTH > cortisol > CRH
4. CRH > cortisol > ACTH

Question 4

Why does the body suppress the production of insulin during a stress response?

Answer indication

1. Fight or flight.
2. True.
3. A.
4. In order to conserve energy and fuel needed for the fight or flight response.

How does the heart respond to stress? - ExamTests 3

Questions

Question 1

What is the consequence of arteriosclerosis in the heart?

Answer indication

1. Due to arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries, the heart muscle receives too little oxygen, which can casue that part of the heart muscle to die (heart attack) and the pump function falls to a life-threatening level.

What is the effect of stress on diabetes and metabolism? - ExamTests 4

Questions

Question 1

What is the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Question 2

Why is the combination of diabetes and stress so bad for health?

Answer indication

1. Type 2 is acquired diabetes, diabetes because of old age, obesity or diabetes through excessive stress. Type 1 diabetes is juvenile diabetes.
2. Cells receive too little glucose, fatty acids and glycerol. Under stressful conditions, more and more of these types of substances are made. There is an increased risk on atherosclerosis.

What is the relationship between stress, appetite and stomach ulcers? - ExamTests 5

Questions

Question 1

What is the IBS syndrome?

Question 2

What is the Helicobacter pylori and is it harmful?

Question 3

Weiss and Brady used gastric ulcers as dependent variables in their stress experiments with monkeys and rats. These ulcers would occur as the result of stress; due to overactivation of the autonomic nervous system and hormones. However, it has been known for a number of years that a bacterium (the Helicobacter Pylori) is responsible for stomach ulcers. Does this make a stress theory about the development of stomach ulcers untenable?

Answer indication

1. It is the Irritable Bowel Syndrome; a disorder that can be reversible.
2. It is a type of bacteria that is located in the stomach; harmless, until it interacts with stress or bad health behaviors such as the consumption of alcohol.
3. No, since this particular bacterium is only harmful in the case of prolonged stress or bad health behaviors.

How does stress affect growth? - ExamTests 6

Questions

Question 1

Romanian orphans are often smaller than average. What could be the reason for this?

Answer indication

1. Children in Romanian orphanages often receive less touch and love, causing diminished growth.

How does stress affect reproduction? - ExamTests 7

Questions

Question 1

What is the influence of stress on successfully getting pregnant through IVF (in vitro fertilization)?

Answer indication

1. Few women will get successfully pregnant by the influence of stress.

What is the relationship between stress, the immune system and diseases? - ExamTests 8

Questions

Question 1

What are the functions of B- and T-cells?

Question 2

The immune system is suppressed during prolonged stress. The initial explanation for this was that the body tries to save energy and fuel. However, this is could not be the only explanation, since ...

Answer indication

1. T-cells reproduce after binding to a macorphage. Killer cells are then activated, that destroy the invading cell. T-helper cells stimulate B-cells, that make antibodies and memory cells; that recognize the type of invading cell the next time.
2. Cells of the immune system are broken down and removed during stress, which in fact do costs energy.

What influence does stress have on pain perception? - ExamTests 9

Questions

Question 1

Why are people inclined to scratch their insect bites?

Question 2

Explain the placebo-effect.

Answer indication

1. We stimulate interneuron Y; by scratching and hurting the bitten area; to draw away the attention from neuron X; the itch that the insect bite causes.
2. People can come to believe that a treatment they are taking is effective, resulting in them having reduced symptoms, or even no symptoms at all. In fact, the treatment does not really work. So in a psychological way, placebo treatment reduces the pain the person experiences.

How does the memory work under the influence of stress? - ExamTests 10

Questions

Question 1

What is Cushingoid dementia?

Question 2

Is there a causal relationship between having a small hippocampus and developing PTSD after a trauma?

Answer indication

1. It occurs in people with Cushing's syndrome who excrete an increased level of glucocorticoids. This results in damage to the hippocampus, and possibly in Cushingoid dementia.
2. There is a correlation between a smaller hippocampus and having PTSD; however, research is not sure yet about a potential causal relationship.

How is sleep influenced by stress? - ExamTests 11

Questions

Question 1

What are the different phases of sleep?

Question 2

During which of those phases of sleep does dreaming occur?

Question 3

How come that a bad recovery from a jet lag impairs your memory?

Answer indication

1. The first two phases are superficial sleep, then come phase 3 and 4; which are phases of deep sleep. Lastly, the phase of REM sleep occurs.
2. During the phase of REM sleep.
3. Not being able to recover from a jet lag causes increased glucocorticoid levels, which in the long term can impair and damage the hippocampus. The hippocampus is essential for explicit memory; so this will become impaired.

How do stress, aging and mortality influence each other? - ExamTests 12

Questions

Question 1

What kind of neurological evidence was found that supports the idea that older people experience fewer negative emotions?

Answer indication

1. Brain-imaging studies have shown that older people's brains respond less to negative images, and more to positive images.

What is meant by psychological stress? - ExamTests 13

Questions

Question 1

A researcher gives a group of rats food on predictable moments, and another group of rats the same amounts of food, only then on unpredictable moments. Will the second group of rats have a stress response and why?

Answer indication

1. Yes, they will have a stress response, since even a positive trigger can become a stressor in the case of unpredictability.

In what sense can stress lead to depression, and vice versa? - ExamTests 14

Questions

Question 1

How can learned helplessness influence or stimulate the onset of a depressive episode?

Question 2

How did twin studies provide evidence for a genetic factor in depression?

Question 3

What are the common abnormalities in the brain of someone who is depressed?

Answer indication

1. Learned helplessness makes a person believe that whatever he or she will try, he will never attain his goal. This results in a lack of motivation, a lack of positive self-evaluations, and a lack of pleasure. This can lead to a depressive episode.
2. Research in fraternal twins has shown that if one of the two has a history of depression, the other has a twenty-five percent chance of developing depression as well. In this case, fifty percent of their genes are the same. With identical twins, this chance is fifty percent. Their genes are completely alike, so depression has at least some genetic component.
3. The ACC, right PFC and amygdala are overly active. The hippocampus is smaller, leading to diffuculties involving the person's memory.

What do personality, temperament and stress have to do with each other? - ExamTests 15

Questions

Question 1

What personality types particularly suffer from a chronic stress response?

Answer indication

1. Hostile personality types and oppressive personality types.

How does pleasure look organic and how does stress influence this? - ExamTests 16

Questions

Question 1

How do psychostimulants reduce the stress response, making it more likely for a person to keep on using drugs during stressful times?

Question 2

True or untrue? When there are a lot of complications during birth, the child will become more prone to develop a drug addiction in adulthood.

Answer indication

1. Psychostimulants ensure that you will not notice the stressor as much, making the person believe that the stressor isn't there. So, the person will keep on abusing drugs in order not to feel stressed.
2. True; at least in the case of rats.

What is the connection between illness and rank and poverty? - ExamTests 17

Questions

Question 1

Why is getting a level higher on the socio-economic ladder related to an increase in health?

Question 2

Nowadays, psychological stress is a way more important cause of disease than it was before the 20th century, or even before agriculture was developed. What is the reason for this?

Answer indication

1. This has to do with the decreased amount of stressors in life that result from becoming richer; there will be fewer daily hassles and more social and material support. Also, the person in question feels like he has become less poor; which decreases stress.
2. The diseases that we die from nowadays are most of the time chronic diseases; instead of one single illness caused by a virus or bacteria. Chronic illnesses often aggravate by the influence of stress.

In which ways can stress be dealt with? - ExamTests 18

Questions

Question 1

Which of the following statements is/are true?

I Stress can accelarate the process of aging

II Elderly often deal less efficiently with stress

1. I is true
2. II is true
3. Both I and II are true
4. Both I and II are untrue

Question 2

How does social support reduce the negative consequences of stress?

Answer indication

1. C.
2. The presence of social support makes sure that one experiences a stressor as less stressful.