Chapter 6: Sleep Flashcards
What is entrainment of circadian rhythms?
Synchronization between biological and external cues (like an alarm clock). Light entrainment is when specialized ganglion cells in the retina detect changing background illumination and signal for the release of melatonin
What is jet lag?
When the internal clock is out of sync with external cues (a change in time), causing internal desynchronization
Explain the stages of sleep
REM sleep: active brain, inactive muscles
Stg 1: edge of consciousness, light sleep
Stg 2: short bursts of rapid waves
Stg 3/4: slow waves with high peaks
What is rapid eye movement
(REM) sleep?
Brain is most active, most vivid dreams. REM sleep continually alternate with non-REM sleep throughout the night
Why do we sleep?
Restore/repair hypothesis: the body needs to restore energy and repair
Preserve/protect hypothesis: preserving energy and protecting from harm
Describe the different types of insomnia
Onset insomnia: difficulty falling asleep
Maintenance insomnia: difficulty returning to sleep
Terminal insomnia: waking too early
Can further be classified as primary (due to internal source) or secondary (result of other disorders)
What is restless leg syndrome?
Persistent discomfort in legs that gives an urge to continuously shift them
What is REM behaviour disorder?
Physically acting out dreams due to a failure to inhibit motor signals
If a person has somnambulism, what kind of effects do they experience?
Sleepwalking
Sleep allows for the _______ of stored memories. REM facilitates _______, especially for complex tasks
consolidation, learning
Which phase of sleep is most important for biographical memories?
The slow-wave phase (3/4). It engages in a neural replay, which is a mental replay of what happened during the day
What did Freud theorize about dreams?
He theorized manifest content, which is the images and storyline we dream about. He believed that whatever we dreamed about was what we wanted to do in reality: latent context is the dream based on suppressed urges
Explain the problem-focused theory on dreaming and how it differs from the cognitive approach
Problem-focused: reflect conscious preoccupations of waking life, dreams more likely to solve real-life problems
Cognitive: no claims about problem solving, the brain acts the same as it would when it’s awake, and dreams include things that may be random
What is the activation-synthesis theory for dreams?
States that dreams occur when the cortex tries to make sense of spontaneous neural firing by the pons
______ is a procedure in which a practitioner suggests changes in a patient’s sensations, thoughts, feelings, or behaviour. The effectiveness of this treatment mostly depends on ______.
Hypnosis, the patient
Dissociation theories and sociocognitive theories are trying to theorize how hypnosis works. Describe these 2 theories
-Dissociation involves a split in consciousness. The split depends on the specific theory (part that is hypnotized splits with hidden observer vs executive control split with thinking and acting)
-Sociocognitive: combo of expectations & beliefs with their level of suggestibility
Biological theories about hypnosis suggest that _______ _______ are common in the brain while being hypnotized
alpha waves
Disorders of consciousness can be assessed on a spectrum of wakefulness and awareness. List 5 disorders in order of most wakeful to least wakeful
-Locked-in syndrome: conscious and aware but unable to move
-Minimally conscious state: able to show behaviours suggestive to consciousness
-Persistent vegetative state: minimal consciousness or movement
-Coma: complete loss of consciousness, no body movement (except twitches)
-Brain death:brain stem stops functioning
Give some short-term effects of using drugs
They affect neurotransmitter activities. They often target dopamine and reward center. The nucleus accumbens is a prime area of activation when engaging in rewarding behaviour
Give some long-term effects of using drugs
-Tolerance: need more over time to feel the same rush
-Physical dependence: needed to function normally
-Psychological dependence: needed to ward off negative emotions
What are stimulant drugs?
Speed up the nervous system and enhance alertness. There is a high risk of developing dependence and increased tolerance
Example: cocaine
What category of drug would Xanax be?
A sedative, which depresses nervous system activity
Hallucinogens cause perceptual distortions. Give an example of a hallucinogen
LSD
Drugs like morphine or OxyContin are used as narcotics to reduce pain. What category of drug are they?
Opiates. They are dangerous because they are addictive and very quick to build up a tolerant
What is the most commonly used drug in the world?
Alcohol
What is the think-drink effect?
A psychological phenomenon where the expectation of alcohol (or any other drug) causes a real effect on the person where they can experience some of the drug’s effects without taking any
