Brain Rhythms & Sleep Flashcards
Outline of topics in rhythms and EEG
- Neural basis of EEG
- Synchronization
- Epilepsy and seizures - categories and typical neural activity
Outline of topics in sleep
- REM, NREM, Stages
- Effects of sleep deprivation, Fatal Familial Insomnia
- Sleep and learning
- Sleep and glymphatic house cleaning
- Neural and chemical regulation of sleep
- Dreams and ream readout
- Sleep disorders
EEG in synchronized activity
- In synchronized activity, signals can summate to form a low-frequency and large-amplitude EEG
- Typically associated with a relaxed or sleeping brain
A low-frequency and large-amplitude EEG is typically associated with a ___ or ___ brain
Relaxed or sleeping
EEG in desynchronized activity
- In desynchronized activity, the sum of the out-of-sync activity does NOT lead to a big change in amplitude of signal so there is a high-frequency and low-amplitude EEG
- Typically associated with an active brain
Peter the tiny horse is tired after a semester of torturing NEUR 10 students so he decides to take a nap before the big final exam. Which of these matches how his brain waves would look on an EEG when he’s just fallen asleep?
a) Low frequency, high amplitude waves
b) Low frequency, low amplitude waves
c) High frequency, low amplitude waves
d) High frequency, high amplitude waves
a) Low frequency, high amplitude waves
What are the two ways in which large sets of neurons can produce synchronous activity?
- Relying on a pacemaker: thalamus
- Oscillator circuit
Explain how large sets of neurons can produce synchronous activity by relying on a pacemaker
Relying on a pacemaker (central clock): The thalamus often acts as a very powerful pacemaker (has specialized VG ion channels that allow for generation of very rhythmic, self-sustaining discharge patterns even without input)
Explain how large sets of neurons can produce synchronous activity by using an oscillator circuit
Oscillator circuit: relying on the collective behavior of neurons by collectively exciting or inhibiting each other
How is Peter’s brain generating these synchronous waves so that the EEG can read electrical changes from a whole population of neurons?
a) The waves align with his snores
b) The thalamus acts as a pacemaker
c) Inhibitory and excitatory cells in the oscillator circuit regulate rhythm
d) Interneurons that switch the sign for all neurons in a circuit
e) More than one of the above
Answer: E, both B and C are correct
Generalized tonic-clonic seizure (Grand Mal)
- Sudden onset
- Tonic phase
- Clonic phase
- Can have one or both of these
- Recovery is from minutes to hours
Tonic phase of seizure
Comes first, limb stiffening (in extreme cases, you stop breathing because muscles contract so strongly)
Clonic phase of seizure
Rapid contraction of muscle
How long is recovery from tonic-clonic seizure?
Minutes to hours
Complex partial/focal seizures
- Aura precedes the seizure (abnormal light, hallucinations (usually depends on what sensory area the lesion is in))
○ TEMPORAL seizures are the most common
type - Van Gogh and Dostoyevsky: called
complex partial seizures “ecstatic seizures”, may have caused euphoria and powerful feelings of being connected to a higher power, occurred in their temporal lobes - Has a gradual start/stop
Onset and end of complex partial/focal seizure
Gradual start/stop
What is the most common type of complex partial/focal seizure?
Temporal seizure
A patient comes in reporting episodes of a sensation of “ecstasy” followed by tingling in his arm and then numbness along the entire R side of his body. What are the most likely diagnosis of these episodes?
a) grand mal seizures
b) Complex partial seizures
c) Narcolepsy
d) Fatal Familial Insomnia
b) Complex partial seizures
Causes of seizures
There are many causes: Head trauma, tumors, stroke, Alzheimer’s, some genetic forms generally affecting ion channels (increased excitatory activity or reduced inhibitory activity), withdrawal from certain depressant drugs (ex. alcohol), convulsants (seizure-promoting agents through actions like blocking GABA channels) BUT most of the time the cause is unknown
Treatments for seizures
- Anticonvulsive drugs (helps 2⁄3 of patients): Shifting the balance of
excitation and inhibition i.e. block sodium channels, block glutamate
channels, inhibit metabolism of glutamate - Surgical resection (extreme cases ex. poor Patient HM)
All of the following are treatments that one would expect to decrease brain seizures EXCEPT:
a) Increase glutamate reuptake
b) Block Na+ channels
c) Block glutamate receptors
d) Block GABA receptors
d) Block GABA receptors
Sleep cycle graph
Sleep Cycle
- Body cycles between light sleep and deep sleep throughout the night (with decreasing phases of deep sleep as the night progresses)
- About 5-7 cycles per night
- When sleeping, you first enter NREM stage 1
- As the night progresses, there is a general reduction in NREM sleep and increase in REM (50% of REM occurs in the last 1/3 of the night)
__% of REM occurs in the last __ of the night
50% in the last 1/3 of the night
When you fall asleep, what stage do you first enter?
NREM stage 1
NREM sleep
- 75% of sleep
- Increased parasympathetic activity (lower heart rate, BP, O2 usage), temperature and energy consumption of the body are lowered
- Some muscle tone and some movement
- 3-4 stages make up NREM sleep
- Slow or no eye movements
- EEG shows low frequency and high amplitude activity
- Rate of energy use, the general viring rates of its neurons, and ‘general mental processes’ hit their lowest point of the day
- Occasional dreams (like a snapshot)
REM sleep
- 25% of sleep
- Increased sympathetic activity (sometimes even higher than when awake)
- Temperature control systems ‘quit’ so temperature continues to shift downwards, heart and respiration rates increase but become irregular
- Very floppy muscle tone i.e. REM atonia, from inhibition of lower motor neurons → paralyzed (movement commanded but not carried out)
- Interspersed between the stages of NREM sleep (don’t begin at REM sleep)
- Rapid eye movements
- “Paradoxical sleep”: The EEG looks awake (high freq and low amplitude)
- Complex dreams