Question

The secretion of glucocorticoids by the adrenal glands have both fast and
slow effects on autonomic responses to emergency “flight or fight” situations.
Describe them

Answer 1

In response to signals from the brain region called Hypothalamus , adrenal glands secrete glucocorticoids which produce fast and slow actions on stress.Glucocorticoids helps in mobilizing energy from storage sites to the bloodstream and thereby increasing the cardiovascular tone and hence it mediate stress.During this,long term process like digestion ,feeding etc are delayed which also is a step that shows glucocorticoids mediate stress and hence it is considered to be a fast response

But glucocorticoids has also slow effects like they counteract on the primary effects of stress and thereby reestablishing homeostasis.Glucocorticoids mainly cortisol helps in improving energy replenishment and also for the efficient cardiac action.Hence it also have slow effects on the fight or flight cycle. It also have certain other effects like regulation of appetite or food intake in sleep wake cycle. The early morning hours are the time with peak levels of cortisol , and hence it stimulates the appetite ,hunger ,wake up cycle and Also physical activity. Cortisol and norepinephrine also helps facilitate the movement of immune cells from bloodstream and storage organs to defend infections.