Sujailee Rosado

Health psychology

Summer Williams

Module 1 – Nervous System

1. The nervous system controls our behaviors and responses to our environment, the way

it works is that it receives information from our eyes, ears, nose, and other sensor

organs. The neurons in the body send a signal to the brain, which then tells the body

what to do. it controls the body’s activity by sending and receiving electrochemical

messages using neurotransmitters.

2. The nervous system consists of two major divisions. The central nervous system and the

peripheral nervous system. your brain which acts as the receiver and sends out

messages, your spinal cord works with the nerves that branch off of it.

3. There are many different parts to the nervous system. There is the central nervous

system which has the brain and the spinal cord, The brain consists of multiple different

parts with different functions. The thalamus is a structure that helps with the flow of

information in the nervous system. It works for directing sensory messages, such as pain

or visuals, to specific parts of the cerebrum, such as the occipital or parietal lobe. The

thalamus also relays commands going out to the skeletal muscles from the motor cortex
of the cerebrum. The hypothalamus which is a small structure underneath the thalamus,

and it controls emotions and motivation. It affects eating, and drinking. when the body

lacks water or nutrients, the hypothalamus will send out a message and gives the

sensation of thirst or hunger. Another function of the hypothalamus is to maintain

homeostasis which is a state of balance in our body. It regulates our body temperature

and heart rate. Up next is the Cerebellum which has the main function of keeping the

body balanced and coordinating our movements. The peripheral nervous system has

two parts involved, the somatic and the autonomic system. The stomatic system is

involved in sensory and motor functions, working with the skin and skeletal muscles.

Neurons carry messages from sense organs to the spinal cord, Efferent neurons carry

messages and activate skeletal muscles as in the face, legs, and arms, so that we can

voluntarily move them. The autonomic system activates internally by sending messages

between the spinal cord and the smooth muscles. It targets the heart, stomach, and

lungs. This system has two parts, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The

sympathetic helps expend energy in response to emergencies, it instantly moves into

action, it can quickly speed up the heart rate, decrease salivation, and increase

perspiration. The parasympathetic system regulates the organ systems helping it to

store and conserve energy, used in the digestive system. This system carries messages

to regulate the digestive system.

4. Impulses in a neuron make their way through the axon and stimulate the synaptic knobs,

which release a chemical that is a neurotransmitter. There are many different types of

neurotransmitters, some increase the likelihood that an electrical impulse will be generated.

While other types decrease the chances of an impulse. Some of the chemicals that are released

during this process are dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is a chemical that is responsible for

allowing the sensation of pleasure, and satisfaction and helps with motivation. Serotonin is a

key factor in bodily functions such as mood, and sleep. Digestion, bone health etc. They both

are intertwined with your fight or flight responses to get yourself out of dangerous situations as

well.

5. there are connections between the systems The nervous system is linked to the endocrine

system by connections between the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus sends messages to the

pituitary gland, causing it to release hormones into the blood. They stimulate the other

endocrine glands to secrete chemicals. adrenalin and noradrenalin are hormones that are

released in the endocrine system. These hormones work with the sympathetic nervous system

to help the body react to situations by speeding up heart and respiration rates and increasing

the liver’s sugar output for quick energy.

Module 2 – Endocrine System

1. Part of the reactivity in the endocrine system it needs activation of the adrenal glands by

the sympathetic nervous stimulation by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, these

glands release hormones, catecholamines and corticosteroids during stress. High levels

of these hormones can lead to illnesses due to the effect on the cardiovascular system,

one way was found in a study and it is the cortisol responses to stress as a prediction to

the risk of hypertension. It was found that larger increases in cortisol from difficult tasks

are more likely to have hypertension. A high level of stress with high levels of hormones

can cause the heart to beat erratically and can lead to sudden cardiac death, it can also

increase inflammation and development of atherosclerosis and heart attacks.

2. This system has sets of glands to help the functions, the pituitary gland releases pituitary

hormones into the blood, which stimulate the other endocrine glands to release the

chemicals, the pituitary gland controls the secretion of the other glands, often called the

master gland. The adrenal glands are at the top of the kidneys, and they release

hormones in response to stress and emergencies, one of the hormones is cortisol which

helps control swelling when injured, but having high levels of this hormone can be very

dangerous and harmful to the body as it can lead to high blood pressure and ulcers. It

also releases two other hormones which are epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenalin

and noradrenalin) which work with the sympathetic system to produce reactions as in

speeding up heart and breathing rates. The thymus gland, located in the chest, is large

in infancy and childhood but gets smaller in size and efficiency after puberty, it plays an

important role early in life in the development of antibodies and immunities against

diseases.
3. Some hormones are mainly produced in females in the ovaries, they are estrogens and

testosterone, they are important in the development and function of female and male

reproductive systems. Progesterone is a steroid hormone that is commonly produced by

the adrenal cortex, which consists of the ovaries and the testes, it is also secreted by the

ovaries during the first ten weeks of pregnancy.

4. Homeostasis is a state of balance or normal function within our body. Our normal body

temperature and heart rate, which are characteristics of healthiness. Some examples of

homeostasis are when our bodies get too cold we begin to shiver, to produce heat.

When we are hot we being to sweat which causes the body to cool down. The

hypothalamus controls these effects.

5. In the fight-or-flight response, the threat of danger causes the sympathetic nervous

system to stimulate its organs, such as the heart directly and stimulates the adrenal

glands of the endocrine system which secrete adrenaline, adrenaline causes the heart to

beat faster and all of the senses to be heightened because you are at constantly alert

6. The adrenal glands release cortisol which is what helps with swelling in emergency

situations, these glands are on the top of the kidneys.

7. The thyroid gland which is located in the neck, produces hormones like thyroxine, that

regulate the body’s activity level and growth. Disorders in thyroid production are of two

types: hypothyroidism, which means the body isn’t secreting enough of the thyroid

hormones, and hyperthyroidism which is too much of the hormone. Another disease

you can get from too high or too low levels is ulcers, you can get ulcers by an extended
 period of high cortisol in the body. Hyperthyroidism can lead to high activity levels but

with short attention spans, it can cause tremors, insomnia, and significant weight loss. If

left untreated people with a common form of this condition (Graves’ disease) act in a

highly restless, irritable, and confused manner.

8. Stress may also contribute to hypertension with its effects on promoting obesity. Having

an unhealthy lifestyle can contribute to you being more susceptible to diseases,