Chronic Stress Research

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Over the last ten years there has been a rapid shift in society, technology, responsibilities and expectations that cause physiological imbalances and stress in individuals, especially those who are pre disposed. Stress triggers from society can create addiction epidemics such as the abuse of painkiller medication. Stress caused by pain has lead to the over prescription of opioid’s which are usually prescribed for managing chronic pain. Long-term affects of opioids on the metabolism and endocrine system include high amounts of prolactin and growth hormone, decreased oxytocin, estradiol, testosterone and LH

Stress is a physiological, mental, or emotional factor that causes tension to the body or mind. Stresses can also initiate the "fight or …show more content…
In the experiment stressed prenatal animals exhibited an increase in D2 receptor binding and decrease in D3 binding in the accumbens nucleus. Chronic stress lowered the density of D2 receptors.In some experiments, the prefrontal cortex eliminates dopamine in animals that are chronically stressed. This has been found to be an adaptive response by the prefrontal cortex. Subcortical and the post cortical structures control behavior because of high D1 receptor stimulation during stressful situations. Because of this, stress may be able to change middle pre-frontal dopamine structures. In turn, this will also affect the receptivity of biochemical activity of the dopamine stimulation. Also related to uptake of dopamine related to stress, animals that experienced recurring stress decreased dopamine usage in the brain and basal locomotion. The effects could be reversed by acute administration of D1 or D2 receptor …show more content…
Some stimulant drugs contain properties that allow the pathway to be activated in the ventral tegmental and striatum area. Dopamine factors are involved in reward mechanisms due to drugs. The activation of the dopamine mechanism is due to euphoria created from the drug. (Breiter HC et al.) Experiencing stress involving high release of glucocorticoids caused an increase in dopamine levels. In the nucleus accumbens, extracellular dopamine levels during rest and in stress response to addiction was decreased due glucocorticoid suppression. An increase in glucocorticoids prevents creation of dopamine, which implies that changes in glucocorticoid and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal affects dopamine release. Increased dopaminergic neuron activity is caused by glutamic acid due to stress, stimulant abuse and corticotrophin releasing

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