Lecture 5: Consciousness Flashcards
Consciousness
subjective awareness of internal and external states
Complex History with Psychology
- Introspection - basic units of consciousness
- Behaviourism - consciousness important? only behaviour mattered
- Cognitive Psychology - return to mental states and consciousness - brain imaging of consciousness
Psychoactive Drugs
psychoactive substances interfere with NTs in one way or another
AGONIST:
- increase activity of NTs
- mimics body’s natural NTs
- ex. heroin: increases endorphin activity
- activate a receptor - can be inhibitory and excitatory
ANTAGONIST:
- decrease activity of NTs
- blocks receptors
- ex. antipsychotics: inhibit dopamine
Substance Use Disorder
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER:
- any sort of drug-related distress or impairment
TOLERANCE:
- weaker drug effects with repeated use
- got to keep taking more to experience same effect as first time
PHYSICAL OR PHYSIOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE:
- when your body/ cells need drug to function
- take drugs to avoid withdrawal
- ex. can’t quick alcohol cold turkey - could even result in death
PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE:
- take drugs because of intense cravings
- mental craving/ want o achieve certain mental state
CLASSES: CNS DEPRESSANT
CNS DEPRESSANT:
- alcohol is the main one
- inhibits function of Central Nervous System
EFFECT ON NTs:
- GABA agonist (increases inhibition), deactivate glutamate (prevents glutamate from being excitatory)
- activates opioid receptors (release endorphins)
Second most used drug (after caffeine)
- found through history in virtually all cultures
DOSAGE BASED EFFECTS:
- low dose: relaxation, elevated mood, dampens inhibition (liquid courage)
- high dose: sedation (black out), death
CLASSES: STIMULANTS
STIMULANTS:
(cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, meth)
- excites function of CNS
HISTORY OF COCAINE:
- comes from Coca plant - first to make was Albert Nieman
- made tongue numb
- has been used by indigenous population in South America
- became popular in 1880s
- was used to treat headaches, toothaches, exhaustion
- Freud wrote Uber Coca - was even included in original Coca Cola
EFFECT ON NTs:
dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin reuptake inhibitor (stops recycling/ process of reuptake)
CLASSES: CANNABIS
CANNABIS:
hallucinogen, depresant, and stimulant properties
THC:
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (identified in 1964)
ANADAMIDE:
- body’s natural cannabinoid, discovered because of THC!
– endocannabinoid system: regulating sleep, mood, memory, appetite
- significant increases in THC content in new strains (>200% increase since 1970s)
CBD:
- Cannabidiol - not largely psychoactive
- strongest treatment for childhood epilepsy
CLASSES: NARCOTICS
NARCOTICS:
- commonly used for illegal drugs
- or called opioids; relieve pain + induce sleep
- greek word for “stupor,” commonly known as opioids
OPIATES:
naturally occurring opioids (derived from poppy plant): morphine, heroin, codeine
- highly addictive & often lead to death
- used medicinally like epidural
OPIOIDS:
natural + synthetic: incl. fentanyl, methadone
HOW THEY DIFFER:
opioid is umbrella term and opiates are natural
EFFECTS ON NTs:
bind to/ activate endorphin receptors
BRAINSTEM:
opioids slow/ stop breathing (overdose leads to death)
SPINAL CORD:
opioids inhibit pain signals
Consciousness & Sleep
CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS:
cynical changes in our biological processes that occur roughly in a 24 hour basis (includes sleep)
RELATIONSHIP TO LIGHT:
triggered by light
- suprachiasmatic nucleus: releases melatonin
- absence of light tiggers more melatonin release
DISRUPTIONS TO CIRCADIAN RHYTHM:
- night shifts: low natural light
- jet lag and daylight savings time: shifts when we see light
Daylight Savings Time
HISTORY:
- started in Canada after WW1
- save energy
CONSEQUENCES OF DST:
- increased car accidents
- work accidents
- heart attack
- stroke
Sleep Stages
EEG RHYTHMS:
how fast neural activity fluctuates
- when measuring sleep, you’re really measuring speed of brain waves/ activity
60-90 minute cycles
AWAKE:
beta waves (14-30 Hz)
CALM WAKEFULNESS:
alpha waves (8-12 Hz)
STAGE 1:
Theta waves (4-7 Hz)
- 5 - 10 minutes
- Hypnic Myoclonia: falling feeling or jerky movement
STAGE 2:
65% of sleep cycle
K COMPLEX:
spikes in brain waves
- not sure the function
- brain inhibition? info processing? organize memories?
SLEEP SPINDLES:
- consolidate/ stabilize memory
STAGE 3 & 4:
Delta waves (2 - 4 HZ)
- deep sleep
- physical healing (muscle, tissue) and growth
REM SLEEP:
rapid eye movement
- paradoxical and short
- fast brain activity, but still asleep
- beta waves (14 - 30 Hz)
- 10 - 30 minutes
- when people are most likely to dream
- non-REM dreams: daily lives
- REM dreams: strange imagery
- biological importance? not fully know
- in animals, no REM sleep for a few days can be fatal
Freud Dream Theories
unconscious wish fulfillment
Activation—Synthesis Theory
- neurological theory
- days dreams are meaningless but there must be a function
-
Pons - Activation
- spontaneous/ random “activations” across whole brain
-
Cerebral Cortex - Synthesis
- interprets/ synthesizes activity
- tries to make sense of it all
