Endogenous Pacemakers Flashcards
What are endogenous pacemakers often referred to as?
Biological clocks.
What do endogenous pacemakers allow us to do?
Keep pace with changing cycles in the environment.
What is the most important pacemaker in human beings?
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (the SCN).
What is the main endogenous pacemaker in mammals?
The suprachiasmatic nucleus (The SCN).
Where can the SCN be found?
In the hypothalamus.
What rhythm does the SCN play an important role in generating?
The body’s circadian rhythm.
It regulates when you are awake or asleep.
In response to what does the SCN send signals throughout the body?
Light and dark.
The SCN receives information about light levels via what?
The optic nerve.
What does the SCN also control the manufacturing and secretion of?
Melatonin.
Where does the SCN send signals to?
The pineal gland.
When it is dark does the pineal gland secrete more or less melatonin?
More melatonin.
When it is light does the pineal gland secrete more or less melatonin?
Less melatonin.
What are endogenous pacemakers?
Mechanisms within the body that govern the internal, biological bodily rhythms.
What is the brief evaluation point for endogenous pacemakers that can also be used to evaluate exogenous zeitgebers?
Issues with case study evidence to support the role.
What is the point to be made when evaluating endogenous pacemakers?
Much of the research looking at endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers influence on the sleep wake cycle is case study or studies using very small studies, such as Suffer cave study and Aschcoff and Bunker study.
