Whew, you wore me out on this one. I need a break now!
Adrenaline is a term most texts avoid these days. The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys, they produce major hormones. (Dark look at the dinosaur who is teaching you) Epipnephrine and norepinephrine are two hormones produced by the adrenal medulla and combine to produce the fight-or-flight response. The term adrenaline isn't really in use anymore, epinephrine is the closest match for it.
(flexes cranial muscle, gets a headache) What I know about ATP, which is far from everything, is that it is power on a cellular level, it supplies energy used by cells to move things around (electrolytes, ect). Normally substances move in and out cells by diffusion, osmosis, and flitration which are all physical means of movement aided by chemicals (water always follows sodium, for example.) Some movement of substances between cells (or in and out of them)require engery, thus enters ATP.
For example we know that things always flow from an area of greater concentration to an area of lesser concentration (osmosis) but sometimes ATP is used and things go backward from an area of lesser concentration to an area of greater concentration. It has nothing to do with physical movement of the body itself. Muscles don't use ATP to move the body around, that's a completely differnent process, I could see how you could think that ATP causes a burst of energy, but it doesn't as far as I know.
I don't know about passing out, but in my own personal experiences involving a flight or fight response involving real or perceived danger(and I promise I've had some doozies) after the "adrenaline rush" I shake like a leaf and sometimes cry, it's like a release valve going off, sort of.
Honestly it sounds like you are confusing.. or maybe combining fight or flight with general adaptation syndrome. Oops didn't plan to go there, but I guess I better since this is for a project. General Adapation Syndrome happens in response to
long term exposure to stress. It has three stages, alarm stage, stage of resistance, and stage of exhaustion. If you run out of gas, (stressor is severe enough or lasts long enough) ie: the body's resources for adaptation are completely depleted, the stage of exhaustion, if prolonged, ends in death.
I know I didn't answer your last question but I'm still not really sure what you are asking. Is ATP involved in general adapation syndrome? Only as far as the process of transfer of water and electrolytes from intravascular, intercelluar and interstitial spaces are involved.
I hope this helps. If it doesn't pm me and I'll pull out some texts lol.
P.S. Not bad for a bubblehead, huh?
Question for Kink: The sympathetic system does it also pump adrenaline through your body? There is another small system that regulates that but I cant remember it atm it begins with an E.
To expand a bit on what kink said about the example of 120 lb mothers saving their kids from 2k lb cars.
The sympathetic system seems to control your ATP levels for each cell in the body or at least cause them to "override"
ATP= Adenine Triphosphate it looks like the little dipper the material make up
It consists of 3 phosphates, 1 sugar, and an oxly group(fuzzy memory)
The three phosphates(O) are like this followed by the adenine(D) and another chemical(last)
o
O-O-O--D-I
The power that gives you the ability to move and type etc. is stored in the energy between the bonds when one of the bonds is broken off it gives your body energy your body calculates how much is needed so it is involuntary(to an extent) think of ATP as a full battery cell
When the power is released it becomes ADP its full name i cant remember where only 2 phosphates exist since one is broken off but the rest is the same think of ADP as a half full battery cell. After converting to ADP the phosphate comes back and creates ATP and the process is repeated numerously
The chemical reaction is quick hence the reason you can perform and move so fast and it is done millions of times a second going from ATP to ADP and returning to ATP
In the case of an adrenaline rush or when the sympathetic system kicks in the ATP is released all at once meaning the body doesnt control the amount released so you have about 20 minutes of energy uncontrolled this can be used to do of course things you cant normally do. You're not invincible but you can still do some pretty amazing shit its our 2hr.
Once you run out of energy or I again assume the parasympathetic system kicks in your body slows down and returns to normal.
If you're in a life/death situation then after the full adrenaline rush (20minutes) you pass out since you most likely used all of the energy stored to survive.
The sympathetic system seems to release a certain amount of greater than neccesary energy while a full adrenaline rush lets it all out
My ? is does the sympathetic control both or just one of the functions?
*My extra credit project* /grin Kotsu=P
