Biopsychology - 9) Biological Rhythms: Infradian and Ultradian Rhythms Flashcards

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1
Q

Infradian rhythm

A

Biological rhythm that takes longer than 24 hours (can be weekly, monthly, annually etc)

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2
Q

Example of an infradian rhythm

A

Female menstrual cycle

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3
Q

Menstrual cycle

A

Time between the first day of a women’s period and the day before her next period

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4
Q

Duration of menstrual cycle

A

Anywhere between 24 and 35 days (generally 28 days)

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5
Q

Hormones involved in the menstrual cycle

A

Oestrogen levels rise causing egg to be released and for ovulation to occur
Progesterone helps womb lining grow thicker, readying body for pregnancy

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6
Q

Menstrual flow

A

If pregnancy doesn’t occur, the egg is absorbed in the body and the womb lining comes away to leave the body

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7
Q

Who carried out research into the menstrual cycle?

A

McClintock and Stern

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8
Q

Aim of McClintock and Stern’s research into the menstrual cycle

A

To investigate whether or not the menstrual cycle can be influenced by exogenous zeitgebers

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9
Q

Sample of McClintock and Stern’s research into the menstrual cycle

A

29 women with history of irregular periods

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10
Q

Process of McClintock and Stern’s research into the menstrual cycle

A

Samples of pheromones (chemicals) gathered from 9 of the women at different stages of menstrual cycle
Day 1 - pads from start of menstrual cycle applied to all 20 women
Day 2 - pads from day 2 applied on all 20 women and so on

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11
Q

Findings of McClintock and Stern’s research into the menstrual cycle

A

68% of the 20 women experienced changes to their cycle as a result of the pheromones

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12
Q

Conclusion of McClintock and Stern’s research into the menstrual cycle

A

Exogenous zeitgebers can impact the female menstrual cycle

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13
Q

Examples of an infradian rhythm other than the menstrual cycle

A

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

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14
Q

What is SAD?

A

Infradian rhythm related to the seasons
People feel depressive symptoms during winter months

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15
Q

What neurotransmitter is involved in SAD?

A

Melatonin

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16
Q

Melatonin’s involvement in SAD

A

Melatonin is secreted by pineal gland
Longer nights in winter increases this secretion
More melatonin linked to increase in depressive symptoms

17
Q

The role of exogenous zeitgebers in SAD

A

Patients of SAD waking up to an artificial bright light reported an improvement in their depression symptoms

18
Q

Ultradian rhythm

A

Biological rhythm that takes less than 24 hours

19
Q

Examples of ultradian rhythm

A

Stages of sleep

20
Q

How many stages of sleep are there and what are they?

A

5 stages:
- stages 1 and 2 are non-REM
- stages 3 and 4 are non-REM
- stage 5 is REM

21
Q

How long does each stage of sleep last?

A

Approximately 90 minutes

22
Q

What is each stage of sleep characterised by?

A

A different level of brainwave activity which can be monitored using an EEG

23
Q

Stages 1 and 2 of the stages of sleep

A

Light sleep
Individual woken easily
Brainwave patterns become slower and more rhythmic (alpha waves)
Patterns become even slower as sleep becomes deeper (theta waves)

24
Q

Stages 3 and 4 of the stages of sleep

A

Deep sleep / slow wave sleep (delta waves)
Difficult to wake someone up during these stages

25
Q

Stage 5 of the stages of sleep

A

REM sleep
Body is paralysed
Brain activity speeds up significantly to resemble that of awake brain
REM activity during sleep highly correlated with dreaming

26
Q

Who conducted research into the stages of sleep?

A

Dement and Kleitman

27
Q

Process and Dement and Kleitman’s research into the stages of sleep

A

Brain activity of 0 participants measured using EEG
Participants weren’t influenced by alcohol or caffeine

28
Q

Results of Dement and Kleitman’s research into the stages of sleep

A

REM sleep highly correlated to dreaming
When he woke up people during REM stage, they could recall very clearly what they dreamed

29
Q

Non-sleep research into ultradian rhythms

A

During the day we move from states of alternates into states of fatigue every 90 minutes
The human mind can concentrate for 90 minutes but after this the body runs out of resources