Ch. 3 Consciousness Flashcards
NREM-1
brief, transitional (1-7 min); slow, regular waves; hypnagogic sensations (feel like falling, jolt)
NREM-2
about 20 min; sleep spindles; spend about half the night here in total
NREM-3
slow-wave sleep (~30 min); large amplitude, slow waves; hard to wake
(after NREM-3, the cycle moves backward toward REM)
REM sleep
rapid eye movement, vivid dreaming, EEG like when awake, body aroused- heart rate, rapid breathing;
brainstem blocks motor messages; “paradoxical sleep”- brain active, muscles paralyzed; ~100 min per night (20-25% of sleep)
Sleep cycle and how it changes throughout night
~90 min for young adults; shorter for older adults
Throughout the night, NREM-3 sleep decreases and the duration of REM and NREM-2 sleep increase
Circadian rhythm
the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms (for example, of temperature and wakefulness) that occur on a 24-hour cycle
how does light and melatonin play a role in this rhythm?
Bright light affects our sleepiness by activating light sensitive retinal proteins, which signals the brain’s suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) to decrease production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone
3 Reasons Why We Sleep (Russell Foster)
- Restoration: we rebuild everything we use in the day
- Energy Conservation: sleep to save calories
- Brain processing/ memory consolidation:
REM sleep helps convert memories into long-term learning
5 reasons why we sleep (Myers)
- sleep protects
- helps us recuperate
- consolidates our memories
- feeds creative thinking
- supports growth
Manifest Content
surface content of dreams
Latent Content
the disguised, symbolic, unconscious meaning of the dream (usually sexual)
What are the consequences of being sleep deprived?
Slower reaction times Increased depression Mimics aging in metabolic and hormonal functioning Poor memory Poor judgement
Insomnia
recurring problems in falling or staying asleep
- Adults, as we get older it’s more likely
- Fix: Natural sleep aids described above
Narcolepsy
a sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.
Take extra caution
Sleep apnea
temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings
- Associated with obesity, particularly overweight men more likely
- Treatment: mask-like device w an air pump keeps sleeper’s airway open
Night terrors
high arousal and an appearance of being terrified; unlike nightmares, night terrors occur during NREM-3 sleep, within two or three hours of falling asleep, and are seldom remembered
-Target mostly children; Most likely to experience are young children, who have the deepest NREM-3 sleep
Sleepwalking/ sleep talking
a NREM-3 sleep disorder (sleep talking can occur at any stage)
Most likely to experience are young children, who have the deepest NREM-3 sleep
Dual Processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
Selective Attention
focusing conscious awareness on a particular stimulus
We can attend to only a limited aspect of our conscious experience at one time
(relies on consciousness not realizing something)
Inattentional Blindness
failure to see visible objects when our attention is directed elsewhere
Forces us to focus on the important objects
Change Blindness
failure to detect changes in sensory information
Relies on memory
Depressants
drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates (tranquilizers), and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions
Alcohol
disinhibitor (slow brain activity that controls judgement and inhibitions)
Alcohol use disorder can shrink the brain
Slowed neural processing
Opiates
opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety
Depresses neural functioning
Repeated use= brain stops producing endorphins, if opiate is withdrawn then brain lacks normal level
Stimulants
drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, and methamphetamine) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions
Caffeine
make people feel alert
Addiction: if withdrawn, fatigue, headaches, irritability, depression
Could impair sleep (lasts 3-4 hours)
Nicotine
a stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco
Brain: nicotine signals CNS to release a flood of neurotransmitters, epinephrine and norepinephrine diminish appetite and boost alertness and mental efficiency, dopamine and opioids temporarily calm anxiety and reduce sensitivity to pain
Cocaine
a powerful and addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant; produces temporarily increased alertness and euphoria
Rush of euphoria depletes brain’s supply of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (within one hour, crash of agitated depression follows as drug’s effect wears off)
Ecstasy: (MDMA)
a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and long-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition
Triggers dopamine release, but releases stored serotonin and blocks reuptake
Damage to serotonin-producing neurons
Hallucinogens
psychedelic (“mind-manifesting”) drugs such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory input
Marijuana
contains THC, a mild hallucinogen, amplifying sensitivity to colors, sounds, tastes, and smells
Brain: disrupts memory formation (shrinkage of brain areas that process memories and emotions)
