Chapter 14 - Sleep, Dreaming, and Circadian Rhythms Flashcards
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A measure of the gross electrical activity of the brain, commonly recorded through scalp electrodes
Electrooculogram (EOG)
A measure of eye movement
Electromyogram (EMG)
A record of muscle tension
Alpha waves
Regular, 8- to 12-per-second, high-amplitude EEG waves that typically occur during relaxed wakefulness and just before falling asleep
Delta waves
The largest and slowest EEG waves
Initial stage 1 EEG
The period of the stage 1 EEG that occurs at the onset of sleep; it is not associated with REMs
Emergent stage 1 EEG
All periods of stage 1 sleep EEG except initial stage 1; each is associated with REMs
REM sleep
The stage of sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, loss of core muscle tone, and emergent stage 1 EEG
Slow-wave sleep
Stage 3 sleep, which is characterized by the largest and slowest EEG waves
Lucid dreaming
The ability to be consciously aware that one is dreaming and, in some cases, be able to control the content of one’s dream
Recuperation theories of sleep
Theories based on the premise that being awake disturbs the body’s homeostasis and the function of sleep is to restore it
Adaptation theories of sleep
Theories of sleep based on the premise that sleep evolved to protect organisms from predation and accidents and to conserve their energy rather than to fulfill some particular physiological need
Executive function
A collection of cognitive abilities (e.g., innovative thinking, lateral thinking, and insightful thinking) that appear to depend on the prefrontal cortex
Microsleeps
Brief periods of sleep that occur in sleep deprived subjects while they remain sitting or standing
Carousel apparatus
An apparatus used to study the effects of sleep deprivation in laboratory rats
Circadian rhythms
Daily cycles of bodily functions
Zeitgebers
Environmental cues, such as the light–dark cycle, that entrain circadian rhythms
Free-running rhythms
Circadian rhythms that do not depend on environmental cues to keep them on a regular schedule
Free-running period
The duration of one cycle of a free-running rhythm
Internal desynchronization
The cycling on different schedules of the free-running circadian rhythms of two or more different processes
Jet lag
The adverse effects on body function of the acceleration of zeitgebers during eastbound flights or their deceleration during westbound flights
Circadian clock
An internal timing mechanism that is capable of maintaining daily cycles of physiological functions
Suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)
Nuclei of the medial hypothalamus that control the circadian cycles of various body functions
Melanopsin
Photopigment found in certain retinal ganglion cells that responds to changes in background illumination and plays a role in the entrainment of circadian rhythms
Tau
The first circadian gene to be identified in mammals
Cerveau isolé preparation
An experimental preparation in which the forebrain is disconnected from the rest of the brain by a midcolicular transection
Desynchronized EEG
Low-amplitude, high-frequency EEG
Encéphale isolé preparation
An experimental preparation in which the brain is separated from the rest of the nervous system by a transection of the caudal brain stem
Reticular activating system
The hypothetical arousal system in the reticular formation
Hypnotic drugs
Sleep-promoting drugs
Antihypnotic drugs
Sleep-reducing drugs
Melatonin
A hormone that is synthesized from serotonin in the pineal gland, and is both a soporific and a chronobiotic
Benzodiazepines
A class of GABAA agonists with anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant properties; drugs such as chlordiazepoxide (Librium) and diazepam (Valium)
Imidazopyridines
A class of GABA_A agonists that were marketed for the treatment of insomnia
5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)
The precursor of serotonin
Pineal gland
The endocrine gland that is the human body’s sole source of melatonin
Chronobiotic
A substance that influences the timing of internal biological rhythms
Insomnia
Sleeplessness
Hypersomnia
Disorders characterized by excessive sleep or sleepiness
Iatrogenic
Physician-created
Sleep apnea
A condition in which sleep is repeatedly disturbed by momentary interruptions in breathing
Periodic limb movement disorder
Characterized by periodic, involuntary movements of the limbs often involving twitches of the legs during sleep; one cause of insomnia
Restless legs syndrome
Tension or uneasiness in the legs that keeps a person from falling asleep; one cause of insomnia
Narcolepsy
A disorder of hypersomnia that is characterized by repeated, brief daytime sleep attacks and cataplexy
Cataplexy
A disorder that is characterized by recurring losses of muscle tone during wakefulness and is often seen in cases of narcolepsy
Sleep paralysis
A sleep disorder characterized by the inability to move (paralysis) just as a person is falling asleep or waking up
Hypnagogic hallucinations
Dreamlike experiences that occur during wakefulness
Orexin
A neuropeptide that has been implicated in narcolepsy; sometimes called hypocretin
REM-sleep behavior disorder
A disorder where the individual experiences REM sleep without core-muscle atonia
Polyphasic sleep cycles
Sleep cycles that regularly involve more than one period of sleep per day
Monophasic sleep cycles
Sleep cycles that regularly involve only one period of sleep per day, typically at night
Sleep inertia
The unpleasant feeling of grogginess that is sometimes experienced for a few minutes after awakening
