Special Topics

Question 1

centralization of pain theory

Answer 1

-explains chronic pain
-sensitization to pain from repeated pain signals or nerve stimulation –> develop lower pain threshold and stronger pain response

Question 2

gate control theory

Answer 2

sensations of pain are mediated by neural gates in the spinal cord that allow (or don’t) pain signals to continue to the brain

Question 3

beta waves

Answer 3

awake, alert, attentive

Question 4

alpha waves

Answer 4

relaxation (but awake)

Question 5

theta waves

Answer 5

in Stage 1 of sleep (transition b/w wakefulness and sleep)

Question 6

sleep spindles

Answer 6

Stage 2 of sleep; rapid, rhythmic brain wave activity

Question 7

delta waves

Answer 7

in Stage 3 (transitional b/w light and deep) and Stage 4 (deep sleep); muscles maintain tone in these stages

Question 8

REM sleep more prominent in…

Answer 8

-second half of the night
-REM also declines w/ age

Question 9

what is a seizure?

Answer 9

-disruption of brain’s normal electrical activity
-altered consciousness and/or neurological and behavioral manifestations

Question 10

tonic clonic seizures

Answer 10

aka grand mal; generalized; sudden loss of consciousness and tonic + clonic activity

followed by headache, confusion, fatigue, amnesia for the seizure

Question 11

absence seizures

Answer 11

aka petit mal; generalized; mostly in children; last 1-30 sec; change in level of consciousness, blinking, eye rolling , blank stare, slight mouth movements; posture is retained and then return to pre-seizure activity w/o difficulty

Question 12

partial seizures

Answer 12

electrical disturbance limited to a specific area of one cerebral hemisphere
-simple: consciousness/awareness retained
-complex: consciousness impaired/lost

Question 13

simple partial seizure

Answer 13

-consciousness/awareness retained
-may incl. motor (twitching), autonomic (heart racing), sensory (smells), or psych (fear, deja vu) sxs
-e.g., Jacksonian seizures: frontal lobe, initially localized motor seizure that spreads (e.g., twitching finger then moves up hand, arm)

Question 14

complex partial seizure

Answer 14

-consciousness lost/impaired
-often include automatisms (involuntary purposeless bxs, e.g., lip smacking, repeating nonsense phrases, fidgeting, aimless walking)
-may be preceded by an aura
-often from temporal lobe epilepsy

Question 15

EEG

Answer 15

electrical activity in the cortex, can localize source of seizure

Question 16

PET / SPECT scans

Answer 16

functional imaging using radioactive material, measures metabolism and blood flowo

Question 17

tension headaches

Answer 17

-most common headache
-bilateral, dull and steady pain
-can usually fx normally
-more common in women

Question 18

migraines

Answer 18

-2nd most common headache
-unilateral throbbing pain, mod to sev
-may incl. nausea, vomiting, light/sound sensitivity, an aura beforehand, visual disturbances (ocular/retinal type)

Question 19

cluster headaches

Answer 19

-recur in groups/cycles over a period of days or weeks
-appear suddenly
-debilitating unilateral pain + watery eye, nasal congestion
-rare but more common in men

Question 20

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)