Dr. Cano Vindel, president of the English Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress says that some have arisen as a reaction or response of the individual and the internal changes that occur in it, others have used it to Referring to the stimulus itself, speaking of stressful stimuli that can cause a stress response, and finally, the most complete and accepted approach today is the one who understands the stress as an interaction between the stimulus and the subject, so that consider stress as "a result of an imbalance between the demands of the environment (internal or external stressors) and resources of the subject" to cope.
The crux of the matter is in the adrenal glands and a type of hormone secreted by, the glucocorticoids, cortisol being the popular "stress hormone", the main one in humans and other primates. Have glucocorticoid receptors in virtually every cell in the body, so it is easy to see that altering the regulation will mean, in the chain of influences, altering the entire body. Regulate various aspects of metabolism and its release increases significantly during stress, where they are needed to prepare the organism to a threat.
In these situations, increasing the supply of glucose to neurons and muscle enhances the function of organs (heart, brain, etc.) that will allow the body to respond quickly and effectively, eg by physical exertion or increased attention. On the other hand, glucocorticoids have anti-inflammatory properties as they inhibit the release of various chemical mediators of inflammation. Also known to suppress the immune system response, so they are used in clinical practice to prevent transplant rejection, among other things, but for this very reason, the susceptibility to certain diseases is greatly increased in these situations of high tension.
Roughly the thing starts with the perception of danger, which is rapidly processed by the central nervous system from the hypothalamus, through a series of hormonal mediators influences the pituitary gland which in turn releases hormones that when they reach the adrenal glands lead to the rapid release of glucocorticoids and catecholamines, which performed its function in various organs and tissues. This close relationship between the nervous and endocrine systems has made it increasingly more frequent and appropriate to talk about the neuroendocrine system as a whole.
But stress is bad enough. Biological and evolutionary speaking, stress is a physiological response that occurs to facilitate the survival time to adverse events such as assault of a predator or food deprivation. Glucocorticoids secreted by the adrenal cortex, speeding up metabolism, and catecholamine secreted by the adrenal medulla, increasing blood circulation, preparing the body to confront the threat. The problem comes when this response a priori "good" (ie, adaptive) is too long time. Here we already in the field of psychosocial stress, where the situations that produce stress are other issues such as personal relationships, exams, promotion at work, etc, so a chronically activated a number of physiological processes that are designed only to respond to specific emergencies of a physical.
Prolonged stress over time, and increase the vulnerability to develop disease by immunosuppression that occurs, can lead to many pathological conditions: cardiovascular, digestive, growth, infertility and nervous system damage, as it neuronal receptors have been identified glucocorticoids in structures related to the regulation of processes as diverse as neurogenesis, learning, memory and decision making. In extreme cases, a very high levels of glucocorticoid block adult neurogenesis and neuronal death occurs.
Readings and links:
Fundamentals of Psychobiology, VVAA, Sanz y Torres, 2009.
Stress - Wikipedia
English Society for the Study of Anxiety and Stress
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