Subtitle; "fundamentals of social physiology, segment 100"
The HPA axis is all about social logic and reason. Your hypothalamus releases a cortisol spike because you, somewhere inside your social and environmental reasoning mind, *decide* that a situation is stressful. The SAM axis is what acts in-the-moment.
I (the author) live in the ghetto, so I'll use this example:
You hear a gunshot.
SAM asks: 1) Threat!? 2) Opportunity!?
Either way, SAM says: "Let's get it started."
The SAM axis is also called your sympathoadrenal response. Norepenephrine, manufactured in your lower coeruleus, shoots through your sympathetic nervous system, getting injected directly into target organs. Adrenal glands also dump epenephrine (adrenaline) into your bloodstream.
Concurrently, the hypothalamus -- the command-and-control module at the center of your brain, where the little alien sits pushing levers and controls and buttons and stuff -- makes a 0.000000001 second long calculation through your cortex (the brain part), and one of two things happen.
Oh! I got cousin Charles that new 30.06 rifle for his birthday. He must be out there having a blast! I better go say hi!
Outcome . Hypothalamus says: "Alright. We're pushing this button here: 'RELEASE THE OXYTOCIN!' !"
I do not know what this sound is.
Hypothalamus says:
Something happens with respiration here. If oxytocin is present alongside catecholamine response, the entire respiratory drive (inhalation and delivery) opens up.
“I can finally breathe! ”
If oxytocin is not present, then the opposite occurs.
“I can’t breathe at all! ”
The hypothalamus, of course, is the lynchpin of both the SAM and the HPA responses. In the SAM response, the hypothalamus both produces and is responsible for releasing oxytocin. Again, following your cortical (logical), but also other-cortical (conditioned) matrix of social and environmental cues.
In the HPA response, things get kicked back over to your raw cortical system-- whatever part of you actually thinks. [Actual Scientists; please chime in here. 🙏]
Our patient says: “Okay. Time to think. It’s 2 o’clock A.M., and I just heard a loud sound downstairs that woke me up. My heart is racing. I should take some deep breaths. Do I hear any other sounds? My wife is still asleep. The dogs are not barking. Let’s listen for another minute. Maybe we creep downstairs and take a look… Maybe we just breathe for a few minutes; might have just been a nightmare.”
And as a result of this thinking, several things can happen.
1) You’re conditioned to brush these things off. Not a big deal. Maybe you have a security system you feel confident in. "Let's see them get past my autoturrets!"
2) You’re too tired to care, and fall back asleep quickly.
Of course, for this entry, SEGMENT #100, we're concerned with the following conditioning and logic chain that leads to this:
3) You’re still worried.
In this third example, your HPA axis could continue to suffer from repeated activation patterns. Your SAM axis response can kick in again here, starting the process over again.
This is our outcome, which, in certain unfortunate patterns of conditioning, could become a outcome. The relevant thing is that we are now dealing with ***cortisol***, The™️ Stress™️ Hormone™️, and taking at least some mild HP damage.
Quick infohazard warding, if you're particularly sensitive: Low blood sugar has the most elementary relationship with cortisol. When my HPA axis is firing acutely, I drink a milkshake, and enjoy the insulin flood. For you, consult a doctor.
(Topics for further discussion: The ECS system; the endorphin system; glycemia and insulin; dopamine; SHBG; thyroid; prolactin; and prefrontal cortex and visual processing.)
Subtitle; "fundamentals of social physiology, segment 100"
The HPA axis is all about social logic and reason. Your hypothalamus releases a cortisol spike because you, somewhere inside your social and environmental reasoning mind, *decide* that a situation is stressful. The SAM axis is what acts in-the-moment.
I (the author) live in the ghetto, so I'll use this example:
SAM asks:
1) Threat!?
2) Opportunity!?
Either way, SAM says: "Let's get it started."
The SAM axis is also called your sympathoadrenal response. Norepenephrine, manufactured in your lower coeruleus, shoots through your sympathetic nervous system, getting injected directly into target organs. Adrenal glands also dump epenephrine (adrenaline) into your bloodstream.
Concurrently, the hypothalamus -- the command-and-control module at the center of your brain, where the little alien sits pushing levers and controls and buttons and stuff -- makes a 0.000000001 second long calculation through your cortex (the brain part), and one of two things happen.
Outcome
. Hypothalamus says: "Alright. We're pushing this button here: 'RELEASE THE OXYTOCIN!' 
!"
Hypothalamus says:
Something happens with respiration here. If oxytocin is present alongside catecholamine response, the entire respiratory drive (inhalation and delivery) opens up.
“I can finally breathe!
”
If oxytocin is not present, then the opposite occurs.
“I can’t breathe at all!
”
The hypothalamus, of course, is the lynchpin of both the SAM and the HPA responses. In the SAM response, the hypothalamus both produces and is responsible for releasing oxytocin. Again, following your cortical (logical), but also other-cortical (conditioned) matrix of social and environmental cues.
In the HPA response, things get kicked back over to your raw cortical system-- whatever part of you actually thinks. [Actual Scientists; please chime in here. 🙏]
Our patient says: “Okay. Time to think. It’s 2 o’clock A.M., and I just heard a loud sound downstairs that woke me up. My heart is racing. I should take some deep breaths. Do I hear any other sounds? My wife is still asleep. The dogs are not barking. Let’s listen for another minute. Maybe we creep downstairs and take a look… Maybe we just breathe for a few minutes; might have just been a nightmare.”
And as a result of this thinking, several things can happen.
1) You’re conditioned to brush these things off. Not a big deal. Maybe you have a security system you feel confident in. "Let's see them get past my autoturrets!"
2) You’re too tired to care, and fall back asleep quickly.
Of course, for this entry, SEGMENT #100, we're concerned with the following conditioning and logic chain that leads to this:
3) You’re still worried.
In this third example, your HPA axis could continue to suffer from repeated activation patterns. Your SAM axis response can kick in again here, starting the process over again.
This is our
outcome, which, in certain unfortunate patterns of conditioning, could become a 
outcome. The relevant thing is that we are now dealing with ***cortisol***, The™️ Stress™️ Hormone™️, and taking at least some mild HP damage.
Quick infohazard warding, if you're particularly sensitive: Low blood sugar has the most elementary relationship with cortisol. When my HPA axis is firing acutely, I drink a milkshake, and enjoy the insulin flood. For you, consult a doctor.
(Topics for further discussion: The ECS system; the endorphin system; glycemia and insulin; dopamine; SHBG; thyroid; prolactin; and prefrontal cortex and visual processing.)
Thank you for reading.
🙏
- the wandering postrat