The body's reponse to chronic stress

Chronic Stress: Pituitary-Adrenal System

Pituitary-Adrenal System, a stress response involving the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal cortex, which helps the body deal with chronic stressors.

The Pituitary-adrenal system has traditionally been seen as the body's stress system controlling the cortisol levels and other important stress related hormones. Both physical and emotional stressors activate the pituitary-adrenal system.

The role of the hypothalamus

when stressors are perceived by the higher centres of the brain a message passes to the small to the hypothalamus the control system for most of the body's hormonal systems. Activation or the paraventricular nucleus leads to the production of a…