Stress: From Synapse to Syndrome

Stress: From Synapse to Syndrome attempts to break down the barriers which researchers and students encounter when trying to consolidate the findings from the areas of psychology, physiology, and clinical science. It fills a gap in the literature by presenting basic physiological and psychological research on stress in a manner comprehensible to all research disciplines. It also covers the clinical material about the effects of stress in a coherent manner. The scope of the book ranges from discussions of common experimental procedures, and the rationale behind them, to up-to-date information by those already familiar with the field. In this way it links clinical work with that done on animals, on the one hand, and on the other, neurochemical changes with physiological findings. The focus of each section is to explain the variation between individuals in the impact of stress, through an understanding of mechanisms which affect resistance to it. The book makes significant progress in defining barriers and will ultimately inspire further research, particularly in the relatively new area of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 General introduction: the stress response, Holger Ursin and Miranda Olff; the role of life events in the aetiology of depressive and anxiety disorders, George W. Brown. Part 2 Clinical effects of stress: stress and psychiatric disorder - reconciling social and biological approaches, Paul Glue et al; stress and the cardiovascular system - central and peripheral physiological mechanisms, Bela Bohus and Jaap Koolhaas; stress and the cardiovascular system - a psychosocial perspective, Andrew Steptoe. Part 3 Animal models of stress - coping and resistance: animal models of stress - an overview, Paul Wilner; coping with stress, Robert Dantzer; stress and behavioural inhibition, Neil McNaughton; learned helplessness - relationships with fear and anxiety, Steven F. Maier. Part 4 Neurochemistry of stress: neurochemistry of stress - introduction to techniques, Marianne Fillenz; monoamines in response and adaptation to stress, S. Clare Stanford; the role of GABA in regulation of the stress response, Win Sutanto and E. Ron de Kloet; role(s) of neuropeptides in responding and adaptation to stress - a focus on corticotropin-releasing factor and opioid peptides, Diane M. Hayden-Hixson and Charles B. Nemeroff. Part 5 Future prospects: emotional effects of physical exercise, Peter Salmon; post-traumatic stress disorder, David Sturgeon.