Chapter 19: Brain Rhythms and Sleep Flashcards
The method of choice to study sleep is?
EEG Electroencephalography
For the most part an EEG measures voltages generated by what ?
By currents that flow during synaptic excitation of the dendrites of many pyramidal neurons in the cerebral cortex whih lies under the skull and makes up 80% of the brain mass
The amplitude of the EEG signal stringly depends of how….?
synchronous the activity of the underlying neuron is.
In what is MEG much better than EEG?
Detecting the source of neural activity in the brain expecially if deep below the surface.
The EEG rythms are categorized by their frequency range… beta rythms are?
fastest, anything greater than 14Hz and it signals an activated Cortex.
The EEG rythms are categorized by their frequency range…Alpha rythms are?
About 8-13 Hz and are associated with quiet, waking states.
The EEG rythms are categorized by their frequency range…Theta rhythms are?
4-7 Hz and occur during some sleep states.
The EEG rythms are categorized by their frequency range…Delta rhythms are?
Quite slow less than 4 Hz, often large in amplitude and are a hallmark of deep sleep.
In general high-frequency, low-amplitude rhythms are associated with….?
alertness and waking or the dreaming stages of sleep.
Low-frequency, high amplitude rhythms are associated with?
nondreaming sleep states or the pathological states of coma.
If the cortex is actively engaged in processing information > explain th steps that lead to what typ of EEG.
Activity level of cortical neurons is high but unsynchronized leading to low synchrony leading to low EEG amplitude and beta rhythms dominate,
Name the two mechanisms of synchronous behavior.
led by a pacemaker
arise from the collective behavior of all participants
Which brain area can function as a powerful pacemaker to the cortex.
The Thalamus
What is a generalized seizure?
It involves the entire cerebral cortex of both hemisspheres
What is a partail seizure?
It involves only a circumsribed are of the cortex.