Endogenous pacemakers Flashcards
Superchiasmatic nucleus
Bundle of nerve cells that lie in each hupothalumns
receives information about light from the optic chasm
even when our eyes are closed
helps the body adopt to light conditions, regulating the S/W cycle
Decoursey et al 2000
destroyed SCN in chipmunks observed for 80 days
sleep/wake cycle dissapoaered
most died from percolation as they were awake and active when they shouldn’t have been
Ralph et al 1990
Muntant hamster SCN implanted into normal hamster adjustment to 20 hour Sleep wake cycle
SCN transfer
The SCN transfers info on day length to the pineal gland which berates melatonin which includes sleep. More melatonin is secreted at night
eval generalisation
ability to generalise results from animal studies due to similar mechanisms across species.
However ethical issues un recourses as animals were put at risk of harm and death
eval other b
There are other pacemakers. Domoila et al showed how feeding pattern changes affected circadian rhythms in the liver by 12 hours with SCN rhythms the same
eval isolation
total isolation studies like siffere are rare and had extraneous variables like the use of artificial light - lower validity
