Consciousness Flashcards

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1
Q

Consciousness

A

one’s level of awareness of both the world and one’s own existence within that world

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2
Q

Alertness

A

a state of consciousness in which we are awake and able to think.

can experience certain level of physiological arousal

cortisol levels tend to be higher, and EEG waves indicate a brain in the waking state

Fibers from the prefrontal cortex communicate with the reticular formation, a neural structure located in the brainstem, to keep the cortex awake and alert.

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3
Q

Electroencephalography (EEG)

A

records an average of the eletrical patterns within different portion of the brain

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4
Q

Four EEG patterns:

A

beta waves
alpha waves
theta waves
delta waves

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5
Q

Beta waves

A

have a high frequency and occur when the person is alert or attending to a mental task that requires concentration.

occur when neurons are randomly firing

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6
Q

Alpha waves

A

occur when we are awake but relaxing with our eyes closed, and are somewhat slower than beta waves.

have more synchronized waves than beta waves

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7
Q

Stage 1

A

detected on the EEG by the appearance of theta waves

At this point, EEG activity is characterized by irregular waveforms with slower frequencies and higher voltages

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8
Q

Stage 2

A

EEG shows theta waves along with sleep spindles and K complexes

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9
Q

Stage 3 & 4

A

“slow wave sleep (SWS)”

EEG activity grows progressively slower until only a few sleep waves per second are seen.

Have delta waves: low frequency, high voltage sleep waves

During these stages, its very difficult to wake someone up from their sleep

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10
Q

Non rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep

A

Stages 1-4

there is usually little or no eye movement during these stages. Dreaming is rare during NREM sleep, and muscles are not paralyzed as in REM sleep

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11
Q

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

A

arousal levels reach that of wakefulness, but the muscles are paralyzed

aka: paradoxical sleep (PS) … sometimes: desynchronized sleep because one’s heart rate, breathing patterns and EEG mimic wakefulness but the individual is still asleep

stage where dreaming most likely occurs

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12
Q

Sleep cycle???

A

a single complete progression through the sleep stages

????

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13
Q

Meditation

A

decreases heart rate and blood pressure

on the EEG, meditation resembles Stage 1 sleep with theta and slow aha waves

produces a sense of relaxation and relief from anxiety and worrying

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14
Q

Hypnosis

A

state in which a person appears to be in control of his or her normal functions, but is in a highly suggestible state

Starts with hypnotic induction, in which the hypnotist seeks to relax the subject and increase the subjects level of concentration.

effective hypnosis requires a wiling personality and lack of skepticism on the part of the patient.

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15
Q

Sleep deprivation

A

results from as little as one night without sleep, or from multiple nights with poor- quality, short duration sleep.

Can cause psychosis
people who are permitted to sleep normally after sleep deprivation often exhibit REM Rebound, and earlier onsey and greater duration of REM sleep compared to normal

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16
Q

Night terrors

A

common in children
periods of intense anxiety that occur during slow-wave sleep

high heart rate, rapid breathing

these usually occur during SWS
child is difficult to wake
and does not remember the next morning

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17
Q

Sleepwalking (somnambulism)

A

occurs during SWS
has no recollection of what they did during their sleepwalk

awakening a sleepwalker will not harm the person; usually suggested to guide them back to bed

18
Q

Insomnia

A

difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep

19
Q

Narcolepsy

A

lack of voluntary control over the onset of sleep

symptoms are unique and include cataplexy: a loss of muscle control and sudden intrusion of REM sleep during waking hours, usually caused by an emotional trigger

20
Q

Sleep paralysis

A

a sensation of being unable to move despite being awake

21
Q

hypnagogic and hynopompic hallucinations

A

hallucinations when going to sleep or awakening

22
Q

Sleep apnea

A

inability to break during sleep
can be obstructive or central

Obstructive: occurs when a physical blockage in the pharynx or trachea prevents airflow

Central: occurs when the brain fails to send signals to the diaphragm to breathe.

23
Q

Dyssomnias

A

disorders that make it difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep or avoid sleep and include insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea

24
Q

Parasomnias

A

abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep, and include night terrors and sleep walking

25
Q

REM stage is the stage that :

A

dreaming most likely occurs

26
Q

Sleep cycle

A

a single complete progression through the sleep stages

the cycle changes throughout the night

27
Q

Circadian rhythms

A

normally trend around a 24 hr day

28
Q

Changes in light in the evening trigger release of ______ by the ____

A

melatonin; pineal gland

29
Q

Which hormone is released by the pineal gland?

A

Melatonin

30
Q

Melatonin is released by what gland?

A

Pineal Gland

31
Q

A steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex would be?

A

Cortisol

32
Q

Coritsol promotes

A

wakefulness

33
Q

Cortisol levels increase during the early morning of the day because :

A

increasing light caused the release of Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) from the hypothalamus

34
Q

Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) causes release of which hormone?

A

Adrenocortictropic Hormone (ACTH)

35
Q

Adrenocortictropic Hormone (ACTH) is released from which gland

A

the anterior pituitary

which stimulates cortisol release which contributes to wakefulness

36
Q

Most dreaming occurs during:

A

REM

37
Q

Activation - synthesis theory

A

where dreams are caused by widespread, random activation of neural circuitry.
This activation can mimic incoming sensory information

38
Q

Problem - solving dream theory

A

says that dreams are a way to solve problems while you are sleeping

39
Q

Cognitive process theory

A

states that dreams are merely the sleeping counter part of stream - of - consciousness

40
Q

Neurocognitive models of dreaming

A

unifies biological and psychological perspectives of dreaming by correlating the subjective, cognitive experience of dreaming with measurable physiological changes