When is Cortisol released?

[diligent18]

I was just looking over some old practice papers, and I realised that some stated that "cortisol is first released in the Resistance Stage of Selye's GAS model", while others claimed that it is released in Countershock of the Alarm Stage.
So which stage is it?

[RTandon]

Technically it is released in countershock but in last year's exam they marked it as resistance, so go with resistance.

[diligent18]

Resistance it is!
Thanks RTandon!

[RTandon]

No problemo! (:

[Genericname2365]

So then what about adrenaline - is it released in both the resistance and counter-shock stages? Or would we just say resistance, as for cortisol?

[nomorecookies]

So then what about adrenaline - is it released in both the resistance and counter-shock stages? Or would we just say resistance, as for cortisol?

Pretty sure its counter-shock coz thats when fight-flight is activated and thats how level of resistance shoots up ALTHOUGH ITS WEIRD COZ CORTISOL SHOULD BE RELEASED THERE TOO O-O"

[Genericname2365]

So then what about adrenaline - is it released in both the resistance and counter-shock stages? Or would we just say resistance, as for cortisol?

Pretty sure its counter-shock coz thats when fight-flight is activated and thats how level of resistance shoots up ALTHOUGH ITS WEIRD COZ CORTISOL SHOULD BE RELEASED THERE TOO O-O"

It's strange as I think the Grivas text book seemed to imply both of them were released in both stages. 

[Tomw2]

Technically it is released in countershock but in last year's exam they marked it as resistance, so go with resistance.

Make sense. There's an issue with wording there. Technically, the HPA axis begins to respond in countershock, thus some cortisol is released. However the significant effects relevant to the GAS are observable from the resistance stage onwards. That is, cortisol is the main player in resistance - unlike adrenalin, it has limited acute/instant effect, takes time to have an effect on the body.

So then what about adrenaline - is it released in both the resistance and counter-shock stages? Or would we just say resistance, as for cortisol?

Same thing again. It's important to understand the important factors. In countershock, catecholamines are the main players (ie adrenalin, noradrenalin) that explain the observable changes in the body and behaviour. In resistance, the effect of adrenalin is less significant.

[Limista]

Technically it is released in countershock but in last year's exam they marked it as resistance, so go with resistance.

Make sense. There's an issue with wording there. Technically, the HPA axis begins to respond in countershock, thus some cortisol is released. However the significant effects relevant to the GAS are observable from the resistance stage onwards. That is, cortisol is the main player in resistance - unlike adrenalin, it has limited acute/instant effect, takes time to have an effect on the body.

So then what about adrenaline - is it released in both the resistance and counter-shock stages? Or would we just say resistance, as for cortisol?

Same thing again. It's important to understand the important factors. In countershock, catecholamines are the main players (ie adrenalin, noradrenalin) that explain the observable changes in the body and behaviour. In resistance, the effect of adrenalin is less significant.

So cortisol is released in countershock stage?

[Felicity Wishes]

Oh not this again. I say we all go with RESISTANCE because that was the answer last year.

[emilyhobbes]

Oh not this again. I say we all go with RESISTANCE because that was the answer last year.

Where in last year's exam does it say that?

[danielgb123]

I definitely have it as released in resistance, same as adrenaline.

Countershock - Activation the SNS; and resistance to stressors increases.

[Tomw2]

So cortisol is released in countershock stage?

Yes, but cortisol doesn't work instantaneously like catecholamines. Cortisol release needs be sustained and increasing in order to produce significant effects on the body (e.g. blood glucose effects, fat storage, immune suppression). So while cortisol starts to be released in the countershock stage, this alone is not enough to cause the changes we see later on in the resistance (and exhaustion) stages. It only reaches the level to produce symptoms later on.

Oh not this again. I say we all go with RESISTANCE because that was the answer last year.

Fair enough. Resistance is when the main effects of cortisol begin, according to all the research and literature on the topic. The body doesn't just get to that point and then BANG, cortisol is suddenly released.

Clearly its been simplified for examination purposes. Hence why people keep reporting they've read different things.

[Genericname2365]

So cortisol is released in countershock stage?

Yes, but cortisol doesn't work instantaneously like catecholamines. Cortisol release needs be sustained and increasing in order to produce significant effects on the body (e.g. blood glucose effects, fat storage, immune suppression). So while cortisol starts to be released in the countershock stage, this alone is not enough to cause the changes we see later on in the resistance (and exhaustion) stages. It only reaches the level to produce symptoms later on.

Oh not this again. I say we all go with RESISTANCE because that was the answer last year.

Fair enough. Resistance is when the main effects of cortisol begin, according to all the research and literature on the topic. The body doesn't just get to that point and then BANG, cortisol is suddenly released.

Clearly its been simplified for examination purposes. Hence why people keep reporting they've read different things.

So just to check my understanding now: adrenaline is released in counter-shock, with some cortisol as well - but unlike it cortisol, it acts much more instantly, and thus is a main player in the countershock stage while having much less of a role in the resistance stage later on?

[Tomw2]

So just to check my understanding now: adrenaline is released in counter-shock, with some cortisol as well - but unlike it cortisol, it acts much more instantly, and thus is a main player in the countershock stage while having much less of a role in the resistance stage later on?

Yes. Looking at the Unit 3/4 curriculum, it is important to understand the main aspects of each stage and what causes it.

So in the alarm stages, the list of things that happen are under the primary influence of catecholamines (e.g. adrenalin).

In the resistance stage, the list of things that happen are primarily under the influence of cortisol and to a lesser extent catecholamines. The effects are still adaptive - e.g. cortisol is directing the body to use energy in a way that helps it deal with ongoing stress.

If the stress is sustained further, the long-term effects of cortisol become maladaptive - immune system suppression (e.g increased chances of infections) etc

Is that consistent with what you understand Felicity?