Consciousness

Question 1

Consciousness

Answer 1

one’s awareness of the world and existing in the world

Question 2

Alertness

Answer 2

conscious state, able to think

• • maintained by the PREFRONTAL CORTEX, communicating with the RETICULAR FORMATION
• • the Awake Stage in the sleep cycle

Question 3

SLEEP CYCLE – Awake and Relaxed

Answer 3

Beta waves – alert, concentrating on a mental task
Alpha waves – resting with eyes closed, awake
– More synchronized and slower than Beta waves

Question 4

SLEEP CYCLE – Stages 1 and 2

Answer 4

Stages 1 and 2 correspond to NREM 1 and 2, officially asleep.

Stage 1 EEG: Theta waves – early stage sleep expressed as slower frequencies and higher voltages

Stage 2 EEG: Theta waves – same as stage 1 but distinguished by sleep spindles and k complexes

Question 5

SLEEP CYCLE – Stages 3 and 4

Answer 5

Stages 3 and 4 are slow wave sleep NREM 3 and 4

Stage 3/4 EEG: Delta waves – super slow waves, low frequency, high voltage
– cognitive recovery, memory consolidation,
increased growth hormone release

Question 6

SLEEP CYCLE – REM

Answer 6

interspersed between cycles of NREM

• • mimics wakefulness, appears with Beta waves on an EEG, but muscles are paralyzed, heart rate and breathing pattern mimic that of an awake person
• • associated with dreaming, important for consolidating memories on procedures and tasks

Question 7

Circadian Rhythm

Answer 7

daily cycle of waking and sleeping, regulated by internal rhythms

• • morning light stimulates CORTISOL
• • evening darkness stimulates MELATONIN

Question 8

Activation-Synthesis Theory

Answer 8

dreaming is random activity of neural circuitry – activation similar to sensory stimuli, consisting of stored memories, desires, needs.

Question 9

Problem Solving Theory

Answer 9

dreams are a way to approach solving problems

Question 10

Cognitive Process Dream Theory

Answer 10

wakefulness and dreaming have the same mental systems – quick shifts through stream of consciousness

Question 11

Neurocognitive Models of Dreaming

Answer 11

seek to unify biological and psychological perspectives – correlating subjective dreaming with physiological changes simultaneously occurring

Question 12

SLEEP DISORDERS – Dyssomnias

Answer 12

difficulty falling, staying, or avoiding sleep

Insomnia – inability to sleep
Narcolepsy – spontaneous sleep, sudden intrusion of REM, hallucinations
Sleep Apnea – failure to breathe during sleep

Question 13

SLEEP DISORDERS – Parasomnias

Answer 13

abnormal movements or behaviors during sleep

Night Terrors – anxiety during slow wave sleep, high heart rate and rapid breathing
Sleep Walking – performance of waking tasks during slow wave sleep

Question 14

Hypnosis

Answer 14

highly suggestible state – relaxed and concentrated

Question 15

Meditation

Answer 15

quieting the mind – leads to decreased heart rate and blood pressure, appears as Theta waves or slow Alpha waves on an EEG

Question 16

DRUGS – DEPRESSANTS

Answer 16

Inhibit the nervous system
– main inhibitory NT is GABA: opens Cl- channels, hyperpolarizing neurons and making action potentials more difficult

ALCOHOL: reduces inhibitions, euphoric (increases Dopamine), impairs reasoning/motor skills

BARBITURATES/BENZODIAZEPENES: xanax and valium
– anxiety medication, highly addictive

Question 17

DRUGS – STIMULANTS

Answer 17

Promote NT activity in the synapse
– increase arousal and frequency of action potentials by promoting NT release, and decreasing NT reuptake

AMPHETAMINES: stimulate the release of Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin

COCAINE: decreases reuptake of Dopamine, remaining active for a longer period of time

• • increases heart rate and blood pressure
• • can be used as a local anesthetic in highly vascularized areas

MDMA: synthetic Amphetamine, a hallucinogen as well

Question 18

DRUGS – OPIATES

Answer 18

OPIATES: consist of MORPHINE and CODEINE
OPIOIDS: synthetic, consist of OXYCODONE, HYDROCODONE, and HEROIN

– pain killers, bind Opioid receptors resulting in decreased pain and euphoria

Question 19

DRUGS – HALLUCINOGENS

Answer 19

Distort reality and fantasy

• • LSD, PEYOTE, MESCALINE, KETAMINE
• • complex interaction of a variety of NT, especially Serotonin
• • increase heart rate, blood pressure, pupil dilation, and body temperature

Question 20

DRUGS – MARIJUANA

Answer 20

stimulant, depressant, and hallucinogen
– active ingredient is THC, acting on Cannabinoid receptors, Glycine receptors, and Opioid receptors causing an increase in GABA for neural inhibition, as well as Dopamine for pleasure.

Question 21

Drug Addiction

Answer 21

• • Dopaminergic Mesolimbic Reward Pathway
• • Involves the Nucleus Accumbens and the Ventral Tegmental Area (NAcc//VTA), connected by the Medial Forebrain Bundle (MFB)
• • this pathway is involved in motivational and emotional responses – positive reinforcement of substance abuse as drugs highjack the survival benefit pathway