Category: Epinephrine

Who is Robert Sapolsky and why is his research on Stress important to you?

Who is Robert Sapolsky and why is his research on Stress important to you?

A neuroendocrinologist, he has focused his research on issues of stress and neuronal degeneration, as well as on the possibilities of gene therapy strategies for protecting susceptible neurons from disease. Currently, he is working on gene transfer techniques to strengthen neurons against the disabling effects of glucocorticoids. Sapolsky also spends time annually in Kenya studying a population of wild baboons in order to identify the sources of stress in their environment, and the relationship between personality and patterns of stress-related disease in these animals. More specifically, Sapolsky studies the cortisol levels between the alpha male and female and the subordinates to determine stress level. An early but still relevant example of his studies of olive baboons is to be found in his 1990 Scientific American article, “Stress in the Wild”.[6]

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What is Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and what does it have to do with STRESS?

What is Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and what does it have to do with STRESS?

Epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) is a hormone and a neurotransmitter.[1] It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages, and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system.[2] In chemical terms, adrenaline is one of a group of monoamines called the catecholamines. It is produced in some neurons of the central nervous system and in the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla from the amino acids phenylalanine and tyrosine.[3]

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