Fight or Flight in Depth and Detail

 Article:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/fear2.htm

Summary:  Fight or flight is coordinated by the hypothalamus, the sympathetic nervous system, and the adrenal-cortical system (in bloodstream).  The overall effect of fight or flight is extreme alertness.  The sympathetic nervous system sends impulses to the adrenal medulla.  This releases adrenaline and noradrenaline into the bloodstream.  These increase heart rate and blood pressure.  The hypothalamus also releases CRF into the pituitary gland, which activates the adrenal-cortical system.  It also releases ATCH which triggers the adrenal cortex to release many hormones.  There is a long list of side effects which include dilated pupils, increased blood-glucose levels, muscles tense up due to surge of adrenaline and glucose (goosebumps), smooth muscle relaxes to conserve oxygen which includes digestive and immune system.  All side effects are geared towards increased speed, strength, and alertness.

Relevance:  This article directly relates to our current curriculum.  We are learning how the digestive, immune, circulatory system and nervous systems work.  We learned briefly about the fight or flight, and about the sympathetic nervous system (it is involuntary and responsible for homeostasis).  We also learned about the endocrine system and hormones, and the pituitary gland, mentioned in the article, plays a major role in endocrine.