Bio-psychology Part 2 Flashcards
What does research suggest about the two sides of the brain?
What two things make up biological rhythms?
What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) responsible for?
What is the pineal gland responsible for?
What is the definition of endogenous pacemakers?
What is the definition of exogenous zeitgebers?
What is the definition of the sleep/wake cycle?
What are peripheral oscillators?
Where are the eight main peripheral oscillators found in the body?
The left hemisphere is the analyser whilst the right hemisphere is the synthesiser
- Made up of internal body clocks
- External environmental cues
Also called our primary body clock (sleep/wake cycle)
Increases/decreases melatonin for less/more sleep
Internal body clocks that regulate many of our biological rhythms, such as the influence of the SCN on the sleep/wake cycle
External cues that may affect or entrain our biological rhythms, such as the influence of light on the sleep/wake cycle
A daily cycle of biological activity based on a 24 hour period (circadian rhythm) that is influenced by regular variations in the environment, such as the alternation of night and day
The circadian rhythms in many organs and cells of the body
- Adrenal gland
- Oesophagus
- Lungs
- Liver
- Pancreas
- Spleen
- Thymus
- Skin.
What is entrainment?
What are the three factors of light?
What are two examples of exogenous zeitgebers which are social cues on the sleep/wake cycle?
What is the definition of a biological rhythm?
What two things make up a biological rhythm?
What are ultradian rhythms?
What are circadian rhythms?
What are infradian rhythms?
What is an example of an ultradian rhythm?
What is an example of a circadian rhythm?
What are two examples of infradian rhythms?
Process whereby the biological clock is reset by external environmental factors
- Key zeitgeber in humans
- Resets the SCN
- Indirect influence on key body processes (controls functions such as hormone secretion and blood circulation)
- Baby’s rhythm
- Jet lag
A change in body processes or behaviour in response to cyclical changes within the environment
Endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers
Occurs many times within a day
Last around 24 hours
Take longer than a day to complete
Stages of sleep (sleep cycle)
Sleep/wake cycle (digestion/excretion/sleep), basically daily 24 hour cycle
Menstrual cycle and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Describe the findings and conclusions of the following studies on the sleep/wake cycle:
Decoursey et al (2000)
Ralph et al (1990)
Campbell and Murphy (1998)
- Destroyed the SCN connections in the brains of 30 chipmunks who were then returned to their natural habitat and observed for 30 days
- The sleep/wake cycle of the chipmunks disappeared and by the end of the study a significant proportion of them had been killed by predators (because they were awake and vulnerable to attack instead of asleep)
- Bred mutant hamsters with a 20 hour sleep/wake cycle
- When SCN cells from the foetal tissue of mutant hamsters were transported into the brains of normal hamsters, the cycles of the 2nd group defaulted to 20 hours
- Both of these studies emphasise the role of the SCN in establishing and maintaining the circadian sleep/wake cycle
- Demonstrated that light may be detected by skin receptors sites on the body even when the same information is not received by the eyes
- Fifteen participants were woken at various times and a light pad was shone on the back of their knees
- The researchers managed to produce a deviation in sleep/wake cycle of up to 3 hours in some cases
- This suggests that light is a powerful exogenous zeitgeber that need not necessarily rely on the eyes to exert its influence on the brain.
Why is menstrual synchrony thought to have an evolutionary advantage?
Why do many argue against menstrual synchrony?
What is seasonal affective disorder (SAD)?
What are the main symptoms of SAD?
What is SAD often referred to as and why?
What type of infradian rhythm is SAD?
What is and describe phototherapy as one of the best treatments for SAD?
Because it allows our ancestors to menstruate together and fall pregnant together, allowing more social group protection increasing survival
Because other factors may effect change in a woman’s menstrual cycle, including stress, changes in diet, exercise etc that might act as confounding variables
Depressive disorder which has a seasonal pattern of onset, and is described and diagnosed as a mental disorder
Persistent low mood alongside a general lack of activity and interest in life
Winter blues as symptoms are triggered during winter months when number of daylight hours become shorter
Circannual rhythm as it’s subject to a yearly cycle
A light box that stimulates very strong light in the morning and evening, which is thought to reset melatonin levels in people with SAD.
Describe the following research for evidence of circadian rhythms:
Siffre
Aschoff and Wever (1976)
Folkard et al (1985)
What does Siffre and Aschoff and Wever suggest?
- Spent several extended periods underground to study the effects on his own biological rhythm
- In each case (six months or 2 months in a cave) his free running biological rhythm settled down to one that was just beyond the usual 24 hours (around 25 hours) though he did continue to fall asleep and wake up on a regular basis
- Convinced a group of participants to spend four weeks in a WWII bunker deprived of natural light
- All but one of the participants (who’s cycle extended to 29 hours) displayed a circadian rhythm between 24 and 25 hours
- Studied a group of 12 people who agreed to live in a dark cave for 3 weeks retiring to bed at 11:45pm and up at 7:45am
- Over time, sped up (without them knowing) so 24 hours became 22 hours), revealing that only one couldn’t adjust
- Suggests the existence of a strong free-running circadian rhythm that can’t easily be overridden by changes in the external environment
That the natural sleep/wake cycle may be slightly longer than 24 hours but exogenous zeitgebers associated with our 24 hour day affect this.
Describe the following practical applications to circadian rhythms case studies:
Practical application to shift work
Practical application to drug treatment
What is a negative of these case studies?
What is a negative of these case studies in terms of research control?
What did study by Jeanne Duffy et al (2001) show about sleep patterns?
Knowledge of circadian rhythms has helped researchers with a better understanding of the adverse consequences that can occur as a result of their disruption (known as desynchronisation)
Circadian rhythms co-ordinate a number of the body’s basic processes such as heart rate, digestion and hormone levels. This in turn has an affect on pharmacokinetics, the action of drugs on the body and how well they are absorbed and distributed
These studies tend to involve small groups of participants, meaning that the people involved may not be representative of the wider population
Although participants in studies were deprived of natural light, they still had access to artificial light (which might act as a confounding variable)
Showed that some people display natural preference for bed early and up early (larks) or the opposite (owls).
What is the definition of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?
What is the definition of electroencephalogram (EEG)?
What is the definition of event-related potentials (ERPs)?
What is the definition of post-mortem examinations?
A method used to measure brain activity while a person is performing a task that uses MRI technology (detecting radio waves from changing magnetic fields). This enables researchers to detect which regions of the brain are rich in oxygen and thus are active
A record of tiny electrical impulses produced by the brain’s activity. By measuring characteristic wave patterns, the EEG can help diagnose certain conditions of the brain
The brain’s electrophysiological response to a specific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data
The brain is analysed after death to determine whether certain behaviours during the patient’s lifetime can be linked to abnormalities in the brain.
What is the definition of localisation of function?
What is the definition of motor area?
What is the definition of somatosensory area?
What is the definition of visual area?
What is the definition of auditory area?
What is the definition of Broca’s area?
What is the definition of Wernicke’s area?
The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities
A region of the frontal lobe involved in regulating movement
An area of the parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as touch
A part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information
Located in the temporal lobe and concerned with the analysis of speech-based information
An area of the frontal lobe of the brain in the left hemisphere (in most people) responsible for speech production
An area of the temporal lobe (encircling the auditory cortex) in the left hemisphere (in most people) responsible for language comprehension.
What is the definition of plasticity?
What is the definition of functional recovery?
(also referred to as neuroplasticity or cortical remapping) This describes the brain’s tendency to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning
A form of plasticity. Following damage through trauma, the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area(s) to other undamaged area(s).
