Sleep Flashcards
What is Stage N1 sleep?
Transition from wakefulness to sleep, a very light stage.
What type of brain waves are present during Stage N1 sleep?
Theta waves.
What is the typical duration of Stage N1 sleep?
Very brief, usually less than 10 mins.
What happens to muscle activity during Stage N1 sleep?
Muscle activity begins to decrease but may still experience twitches and jerks.
Describe the eye movements during Stage N1 sleep.
Eye movements are slow and may involve rolling or fluttering.
Can a person be easily awakened from Stage N1 sleep?
Yes, we can easily be awakened from this stage.
What common feeling might a person have upon waking from Stage N1 sleep?
We may feel like we haven’t been to sleep at all.
What is Stage N2 sleep?
A slightly deeper stage of sleep.
How much time do we spend in N2 sleep compared to other stages?
We spend more time in N2 sleep than any other stage.
What happens to brain wave activity during N2 sleep?
Brain wave activity is slowed, but marked by bursts of electrical activity.
What is the muscle activity like in N2 sleep?
Muscle activity begins to decrease but we may still experience muscle twitches and jerks.
What occurs to eye movement during N2 sleep?
Eye movements stop.
What physiological changes occur in the body during N2 sleep?
Heart rate and breathing slows, temperature drops.
What is required to awaken a sleeper during N2 sleep?
Increasing stimuli are required to rouse a sleeper.
How many N2 cycles occur through the night?
There are several N2 cycles through the night.
What is Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
A type of depression related to changes in season characterized by symptoms including fatigue, depression, hopelessness, and social withdrawal.
What physiological processes are regulated by circadian rhythms?
Various physiological processes, including sleep.
Which hormone is primarily responsible for regulating sleep?
Melatonin.
How does melatonin production vary throughout the day?
Suppressed during daylight hours and increases in response to darkness.
What effect does reduced exposure to natural light during winter have on melatonin production?
It can lead to increased production, resulting in excessive melatonin and feelings of increased sleepiness and fatigue.
Fill in the blank: SAD is characterized by symptoms including fatigue, depression, ________, and social withdrawal.
hopelessness.
True or False: Seasonal Affective Disorder is only linked to changes in weather.
False.
What is a consequence of disruptions in natural circadian rhythms due to seasonal changes?
Increased symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder.
What role does melatonin play in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Melatonin is thought to be involved in the development of specific symptoms, particularly those related to changes in sleep patterns and mood during the autumn and winter months.
Melatonin’s influence on circadian rhythms is significant in understanding SAD.
What are common treatments for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
Common treatments include:
* Light therapy
* Psychotherapy
* Medication
Light therapy usually involves exposure to bright, full-spectrum lights in the morning.
How does light therapy help individuals with SAD?
Light therapy can help regulate melatonin production and circadian rhythms, leading to an improvement in mood and a reduction in symptoms associated with SAD.
Bright light exposure is crucial for effective treatment.
True or False: All individuals with SAD have abnormal melatonin levels.
False
The relationship between melatonin and SAD is complex; not all individuals will necessarily have abnormal levels.
Fill in the blank: While melatonin may contribute to some symptoms of SAD, it is not the _______ responsible for the disorder.
sole factor
This highlights the multifactorial nature of SAD.
What brain waves are associated with being fully alert?
Beta waves
Beta waves are indicative of a fully alert state.
What state is characterized by alpha waves?
Drowsy, relaxed
Alpha waves occur when a person is drowsy or relaxed.
What is the description of being awake?
Full awareness of what is happening around us.
Awake state involves high levels of awareness.
What are the characteristics of being awake?
- Brain waves: Constant beta or alpha waves
- Muscle activity: Muscles under voluntary control
- Eye movements: Normal eye movements, mostly under voluntary control or responding to stimuli
These characteristics help distinguish the awake state from sleep states.
What percentage of total sleep time does Stage N3 typically make up in healthy adults?
20-25%
This percentage can vary among individuals.
What is another name for Stage N3 sleep?
Slow-wave sleep (SWS)
Stage N3 is characterized by the presence of slow delta waves.
What happens to muscle activity during N3 sleep?
Muscles are very relaxed.
What occurs to eye movement in Stage N3 sleep?
Eye movements stop.
How do heart rate and breathing change during N3 sleep?
They slow to their lowest levels.
What happens to body temperature during N3 sleep?
Temperature drops.
Is it easy or difficult to wake someone from N3 sleep?
Difficult.
What might a person feel if awakened from N3 sleep?
Groggy.
What are some behaviors that occur during N3 sleep?
Somnambulism (sleepwalking) and most parasomnias.
What physical processes begin during N3 sleep?
The body starts physical repairs and the brain starts to consolidate memories.
What does REM stand for?
Rapid Eye Movement
When does the first REM cycle typically occur after falling asleep?
About 90 minutes
How long does the first REM cycle usually last?
Around 5-10 minutes
What happens to the duration of REM cycles as the night progresses?
They become longer
What can the final REM period last up to?
An hour
What are the key characteristics of REM sleep? List them.
- Brain waves similar to wakefulness
- Muscular atonia
- Rapid eye movements
- Increased heart rate and breathing
What is the state of brain activity during REM sleep?
Similar to wakefulness, with fast, irregular waves
What happens to our arm and leg muscles during REM sleep?
They become temporarily paralysed
What is the significance of muscular atonia during REM sleep?
It prevents us from acting out our dreams
What is a notable change in heart rate and breathing during REM sleep?
They increase and may become irregular
What type of memory processing is thought to occur during REM sleep?
Emotional memory processing and consolidation
Fill in the blank: The first REM cycle occurs about _____ minutes after falling asleep.
90
True or False: REM sleep is characterized by slow, regular brain waves.
False
How does eye movement in REM sleep appear?
Rapid and apparently random
What are circadian rhythms?
Periodic variations in physiological or behavioural activity that repeat at approximately 24-hour intervals.
What role do circadian rhythms play in health?
They direct functions such as body temperature, hormone production, and digestion.
How are circadian rhythms primarily determined?
By external cues, primarily following a consistent 24-hour schedule.
What are zeitgebers?
Environmental cues that help synchronize circadian rhythms with the external world.
What is the significance of the light-dark cycle in circadian rhythms?
It is a major cue that influences sleep and the overall circadian rhythm.
Name other factors that can entrain circadian rhythms.
- Social interaction
- Eating
- Exercise
What health issues are linked to disrupted circadian rhythms?
- Sleep disorders
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular problems
- Mood disorders
- Impaired cognitive function
True or False: Properly timed exposure to light can be used as a therapeutic approach for mood disorders.
True
Fill in the blank: Circadian rhythms keep our internal biological processes _______ with our external world.
[synchronized]
What is the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)?
The SCN serves as an internal clock or central regulator of circadian rhythms.
It operates on an approximate 24-hour cycle influenced by external cues.
What happens when lesions are created in the SCN?
Lesions disrupt the activity patterns of laboratory animals, underscoring the importance of the SCN in managing circadian rhythms.
This was particularly observed in the medial hypothalamus and SCN.
What neural pathway is involved in the body’s response to light-dark cycles?
A pathway involving specialised retinal ganglion cells in the eyes that serve as light sensors.
These cells are distinct from those responsible for vision.
What is the function of the specialised retinal ganglion cells?
They transmit signals to the SCN, enabling the synchronisation of the internal clock with external environmental cues.
Primarily the daily cycle of light and darkness.
What was the key finding from the experiment with hamsters?
The SCNs from mutant hamsters successfully restored circadian rhythms in normal adult hamsters after transplantation.
This demonstrated that the SCN is a critical circadian clock.
Fill in the blank: The SCN operates on an approximate _____ cycle.
24-hour
True or False: The SCN is responsible for vision.
False
The SCN is involved in regulating circadian rhythms, not vision.
What type of animals were used to provide evidence for the SCN’s role in circadian rhythms?
Hamsters
How do lesions in the SCN affect circadian rhythms?
They disrupt the activity patterns of animals, indicating the SCN’s regulatory role.
This highlights the importance of the SCN in managing circadian rhythms.
What is the significance of the transplant experiment with SCNs?
It showed that the SCN can reset itself and restore normal circadian rhythms.
This indicates the SCN’s critical function as a circadian clock.
What is jet lag?
Extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across different time zones.
Jet lag can result from the body’s internal clock being out of sync with the local time at the destination.
What pharmacological approach can help alleviate jet lag symptoms?
Taking melatonin or melatonin agonists at the new destination.
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles.
What is an alternative non-pharmacological approach to reduce jet lag?
Light exposure before travel, timed to match the desired wake time at the destination.
This method helps realign the body’s internal clock with the local time.
How effective are the interventions for jet lag?
Somewhat limited.
The effectiveness may vary from person to person.
What is the recommended strategy for shift workers regarding their work schedules?
Scheduling phase delays rather than phase advances whenever possible.
Phase delays involve starting work later in the day.
Why are phase delays easier for individuals to adapt to than phase advances?
It’s generally easier to adjust to starting work later than to going to sleep and waking up significantly earlier.
Phase advances require significant changes to sleep patterns.
What can persistent sleep disruptions increase the risk of?
Mood disorders such as depression.
This includes disruptions from delayed or advanced sleep-wake phase disorders or shift work sleep disorder.
Fill in the blank: Jet lag can be alleviated by taking _______ at the new destination.
melatonin or melatonin agonists.
True or False: Light exposure before travel can help reduce jet lag.
True.
Timing light exposure to match the desired wake time is key.
What is non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder (Non-24/N24)?
A rare disorder primarily affecting vision-impaired individuals that causes circadian rhythms to drift out of sync with the 24-hour sleep-wake cycle.
How does non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder affect sleep patterns?
Individuals typically find their sleep time gradually delaying by minutes to hours every day.
What are the consequences of non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder?
Chronic sleep deprivation, daytime fatigue, and difficulties in managing daily responsibilities.
True or False: Non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder can affect individuals who can perceive light.
False
Fill in the blank: Non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder primarily affects _______ individuals.
vision-impaired
What recurring issue do individuals with N24 experience?
Recurring patterns of sleep onset and wake times that are not aligned with the external world.
What is a significant impact of the sleep schedule misalignment in N24?
Chronic sleep deprivation
How does the Amygdala contribute to fear conditioning?
By associating a neutral stimulus with a fear triggering stimulus to create a conditioned response
This process is crucial for understanding how emotions and memories are linked in the brain.
What is Urbach-Wiethe disease?
A rare genetic disorder that can affect the amygdala and emotional processing
Individuals with this disease often show altered emotional responses.
What is the role of the amygdala in emotional processing?
It plays a key role in the formation of emotional memories and responses
The amygdala is particularly important in processing fear and pleasure.
True or False: Individuals with Urbach-Wiethe disease can still form fear memories.
False
This condition often leads to impairments in fear conditioning.
Fill in the blank: The amygdala is primarily involved in _______ responses.
[emotional]
What is a conditioned response?
A learned reaction to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with an unconditioned stimulus
This concept is foundational in behavioral psychology.
Paul Ekman’s pioneering research on universal facial expressions has established a vital connection between facial expressions and which field in biological psychology?
Cognitive neuroscience
Paul Ekman’s work emphasizes the role of facial expressions in conveying emotions and their neurological underpinnings.
Paul Ekman’s pioneering research on universal facial expressions has established a vital connection between facial expressions and which field in biological psychology?
Cognitive neuroscience
Paul Ekman’s work emphasizes the role of facial expressions in conveying emotions and their neurological underpinnings.
What has research demonstrated about emotional processing between the hemispheres?
No significant difference in emotional processing between the hemispheres
Which brain regions are thought to be involved in lucid dreaming?
Anterior prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex
These regions have been associated with self-awareness and cognitive processes during dreams.
What types of neural activity are emphasized in the embodiment of emotion in biological psychology?
Motor, autonomic, and sensory
These types of neural activities highlight the interconnectedness of emotional experiences.
What role does the anterior hypothalamus play in sleep regulation?
Promotes sleep
The anterior hypothalamus is crucial for initiating and maintaining sleep.
What role does the posterior hypothalamus play in sleep regulation?
Promotes wakefulness
The posterior hypothalamus is involved in maintaining alertness and wakefulness.
True or False: The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is irrelevant to circadian rhythms.
False
The SCN is essential for regulating circadian rhythms, responding to light signals.
Fill in the blank: The correct answer regarding the hypothalamus’s role in sleep regulation is that the _______ promotes wakefulness, while the _______ promotes sleep.
posterior hypothalamus, anterior hypothalamus
This distinction is key for understanding sleep mechanisms.
Which of the following statements is correct?
The posterior hypothalamus promotes wakefulness, while the anterior hypothalamus promotes sleep.
This highlights the functional differentiation within the hypothalamus.
What are modern neuroscientific techniques that provide insights into emotional processing?
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG)
These techniques allow researchers to visualize and measure brain activity related to emotions.
What do fMRI and EEG help us understand regarding emotions?
The interface between emotions and the brain at the behavioral level
This refers to how emotional responses manifest in observable actions and reactions.
True or False: fMRI is a technique that measures electrical activity in the brain.
False
fMRI measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, while EEG measures electrical activity.
Fill in the blank: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and ________ are used to study emotional processing.
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Both techniques are crucial for understanding the neural mechanisms of emotions.
How does sleep architecture typically change across the lifespan?
Slow-wave sleep peaks in early childhood and decreases thereafter
Sleep architecture refers to the structure and pattern of sleep cycles throughout different stages of life.
Which strategy is recommended for reducing jet lag symptoms?
Administering melatonin at the new destination
Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles and can help adjust the body’s internal clock when traveling across time zones.
Why might studies showing higher testosterone levels in criminals be interpreted with caution?
Aggressive behaviours in criminals could elevate testosterone levels.
This suggests a correlation rather than a direct causation between testosterone levels and criminal behavior.
Fill in the blank: _______ could elevate testosterone levels in criminals.
Aggressive behaviours
This highlights the potential feedback loop between behaviour and hormone levels.
What is another name for Down syndrome?
Trisomy 21
How is Down syndrome classified in relation to brain damage?
It is not considered a form of brain damage in the traditional sense
What term is informally used to describe Down syndrome?
‘Genetic accident’
What causes the extra copy of chromosome 21 in Down syndrome?
A genetic accident during the formation of an egg
What are the consequences of the extra copy of chromosome 21?
Disrupts normal development and functioning of the brain
What developmental issues are associated with Down syndrome?
Developmental delays and intellectual disabilities
What are some specific physical characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome?
Outlined in the video above
Fill in the blank: Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that serves as an illustration of brain damage stemming from _______.
genetic anomalies
True or False: Down syndrome is caused by environmental factors.
False
What are the neurological effects of Down syndrome?
They can vary in severity and reflect the impact of genetic abnormalities on brain structure and function.
What cognitive challenges are associated with Down syndrome?
Delayed cognitive development, intellectual disabilities, and memory deficits.
What condition is often associated with early onset in individuals with Down syndrome?
Alzheimer’s disease.
What is the human genome?
The complete set of DNA in an organism.
What was the initial hope when the human genome was established regarding Down syndrome?
That the genes responsible for Down syndrome would be identified and treatments would follow.
What challenges are associated with identifying the genes responsible for Down syndrome?
Numerous loci on human chromosomes are associated with this condition, many in poorly understood areas of DNA.
True or False: Individuals with Down syndrome do not show resilience and strengths.
False.
Fill in the blank: Down syndrome can lead to _______ challenges.
[cognitive and physical]
What highlights the capacity of the brain in individuals with Down syndrome?
Remarkable resilience and unique strengths.
What is a key characteristic of brain damage in Down syndrome?
It often manifests with delayed cognitive development.
What is hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE)?
The most common type of brain damage in newborn babies occurring during the perinatal period.
When can HIE occur?
Before, during, or after childbirth.
What causes HIE?
Insufficient oxygen or blood flow to the baby’s brain for a long period of time.
What are the three key elements characterizing HIE?
- Hypoxia
- Ischaemia
- Encephalopathy
What does hypoxia mean in the context of HIE?
Insufficient oxygen reaches the brain.
What does ischaemia mean in the context of HIE?
Insufficient blood flow reaches the brain.
What does encephalopathy mean?
Brain injury occurs.
What are some potential outcomes for babies with HIE?
- Recovery
- Cerebral palsy
- Problems with eyesight and hearing
- Learning or behavioral difficulties
- Epilepsy
- Developmental monitoring
- Ongoing support
- Death
What is cerebral palsy?
A physical condition that affects movement, posture, and coordination.
What is the global prevalence of HIE?
1 to 3 per 1000 live births.
In what settings is HIE more prevalent?
Areas with poorer access to and quality of healthcare.
Can HIE occur in better healthcare settings?
Yes, especially in complicated pregnancies or unforeseen complications in delivery.
What early intervention can improve outcomes for infants with HIE?
Therapeutic hypothermia (cooling therapy).
True or False: Most babies with HIE require ongoing support.
True.
Fill in the blank: HIE is characterized by ______, ischaemia, and encephalopathy.
hypoxia
What are neurotoxins?
Chemicals that have the capacity to cause damage to our nervous system, including the brain.
How do neurotoxins enter the body?
Via lungs, skin, or gastrointestinal tract.
What forms can neurotoxins take?
Naturally occurring compounds and human-made chemicals.
What is ‘mad hatter syndrome’?
A disorder experienced by hat makers due to long-term exposure to mercury, a neurotoxin.
What symptoms characterize brain damage from mad hatter syndrome?
Behavioural changes such as depression, delirium, and memory loss.
Can pharmacotherapy act as a neurotoxin?
Yes, sometimes pharmacotherapy intended to improve mental health can serve as a neurotoxin.
What is tardive dyskinesia?
A side effect elicited by earlier antipsychotics, associated with symptoms of involuntary movements.
True or False: Neurotoxins can only be naturally occurring.
False
Fill in the blank: Neurotoxins manifest in various forms, including both _______ and human-made chemicals.
naturally occurring compounds
What can infections, both bacterial and viral, cause in the brain?
Brain damage
Infections can lead to inflammation and damage to brain cells.
What is encephalitis?
Inflammation of the brain
It occurs when infections invade the brain.
What does the suffix ‘-itis’ indicate?
Inflammation of something
It is commonly used in medical terminology.
What condition can arise from bacterial infections that involves localized collections of pus?
Cerebral abscesses
These can cause significant damage to surrounding tissue.
Can antibiotics reverse damage already done to brain tissue?
No
Antibiotics may address the underlying infection but not reverse existing damage.
Which viral infection has a particular affinity for neural tissue?
Rabies
Rabies affects the brain after a delay of at least a month.
What is the typical delay before damage occurs from rabies after being contracted?
At least one month
This delay allows for preventative vaccination.
Name two viral infections that do not have a particular affinity for the nervous system.
Mumps and measles
These viruses can still cause complications but do not specifically target neural tissue.
What complexity is associated with some viruses regarding their symptoms?
They may lay dormant for many years
This dormancy can complicate diagnosis and treatment.
