Week 5 Flashcards
Explain sleep paralysis
Wake up or going into/coming out of
REM
* Feeling of being conscious but unable
to move
* anxiety/terror, feeling of menacing
presence
* Intruder/Vestibular-Motor/Chest
pressure hallucinations
* Culture plays a role
What is waking consciousness
- Our subjective experience of the world, our bodies, and our mental perspectives (waking consciousness)
Name altered states of consciousness
Altered states of consciousness: sleep paralysis, locked-in syndrome, out-of-body, near-death, mystical experiences, hypnosis, meditation, psychoactive drugs
What is sleep and which hormone secretions is it associated with
- Low physical activity and reduced sense of awareness
- Associated with secretion of many hormones including:
- Melatonin
- Follicle stimulating hormone
- Luteinizing hormone
- Growth hormone
Name the stages of sleep
- 5 stages of sleep in 90-minute cycles Stages 1 to 4 NREM
- No eye movements, fewer dreams Stage 5 REM sleep
- Vivid dreams and quick eye movements
What happens during light sleep
Heart rate decrease
* Body temp drops
* Electric brain wave activity slows
What happens during deep sleep
- Brain erupts with powerful brain
waves - Body is recharged
- Immune & cardiovascular
benefits - Memory consolidation
What is the hypnagogic state
pre sleep consciousness
What is hypnagogic imagery
- Visual
- Somatic
- Auditory
Describe the 5 stages of sleep
Stage 1: Transition
* Transition from wakefulness and sleep
* Lasts only a few minutes
* Brain waves slow down
* Dreams like photos
Stage 2: Falling asleep
* Further slowing of brain waves
* Sleep spindles and K-complexes
* As much as 65% of total sleep
Stage 3 and 4: Deep sleep
* Delta waves
* 1st stage of deep sleep
* Crucial to feel rested
* Growth hormone production
* Children spend more time in
NREM3/4 (efficient sleepers)
than elderly
* Suppressed by alcohol
Stage 5: REM Sleep
* Rapid eye movement sleep
* Brain waves similar to
wakefulness
* Antonia (cannot move)
* Eye & inner ear movements
* REM rebound
* Probably essential
Sleep adaptive theory
- Sleep is adaptive (evolutionary perspective).
- Restore resources: Helps restore energy and bodily resources.
- Predatory risks: Reduces exposure to predators when we are inactive.
- Vulnerability: We are vulnerable during sleep despite its adaptive benefits.
Why is sleep essential (theory)
- Necessary for growth & brain development
BUt we dont know why
How is sleep restorative (theory) connected to sleep is adpative
Restores & replenishes us: Sleep helps restore energy and bodily resources.
Memory consolidation, learning, cognitive function: Sleep aids in memory consolidation and enhances learning and cognitive function.
Slow-wave sleep: Crucial for these restorative processes and overall well-being.
Name sleep needs
People sleep approx. 7-8 hours a night
* Wide variability in sleep needs
* Sleep requirements vary over a
lifetime
* Less sleep as we age
Name some effects of sleep deprivation
Irritability
Cognitive impairment
Memory lapses or loss
Hallucinations
Growth suppression
Risk of obesity
Decreased accuracy
Links between sleep deprivation & mental health
- Sleep deprived people feel increased stress
- Tendency to overreact
emotionally - Lack of emotional regulation – has
a biological basis - React to neutral images as if they were emotional (amygdala
activation, not connecting to frontal cortex)
What happened with Peter Tripp
Peter Tripp: an extreme case of sleep deprivation
- Staged a “wakeathon”
- Broadcasted from Times Square for 200
hours - Slurred speech, incoherent comments,
visual hallucination – paranoia, delusion - Family and friends reported personality
changes - Died at 73 of a stroke
What is the circadian rhythm and what is it regulated by
Biological rhythm that occurs over 24 hours
Regulated by suprachiasmatic nucleus
(SCN) or biological clock of the hypothalamus
Sleep-wake cycle, one of our main
circadian rhythms is linked to our
environment’s natural light-dark cycle
Body temp, hormone production & blood
pressure follow circadian rhythms
What is the SCN
THE SUPRACHIASMATIC NUCLEUS (SCN)
* SCN: brain’s clock mechanism.
* Sets itself with light information received through projections from the retina, allowing it to synchronize with the outside world.
Melatonin and sleep
Melatonin release stimulated by darkness, inhibited by daylight
- Makes us sleepy
- Released by the pineal gland
Jet lag
– symptoms resulting from mismatch b/w our
internal circadian cycles and our environment (fatigue, sluggishness, irritability)
What is the rotating shift work
work schedule that changes from early to late on a daily/weekly basis
* difficult to maintain normal circadian rhythm
* Exhaustion, agitation, sleep problems, depression & anxiety
Explain shift work and what it has to do with the brain
Shift work ages the brain, dulls intellect
- Shift work aged the brain by more than 6 years
- Substantial decline in brain function associated with shift work
- Lower score for memory, speed of processing information and overall brain power
- Reversible! ~ 5 years to recover
Why do we dream according to Freud
Dreams as unconscious wish fulfillment
* Latent vs. manifest content (what we
really want vs. the story line we get)
BUT… what about bad dreams? Sex
dreams only 10%
Dreams for survival theory (according to evolution)
- Many dreams are stressful!
- Dreams represent concerns about our daily life, consistent with
everyday living - Information that is critical for our daily survival is reconsidered and reprocessed – so we can process information 24/7
- Kurdish vs. Finnish children study – Kurdish children had more intense & frequent threatening dream events
Activation synthesis theory (neuroscience)
- Dreams are a way to make sense of
random brain activity while sleeping - Scenario isn’t random – clue to dreamer’s fears, emotions, concerns
- Motivational & emotional centres
(e.g., limbic system) active during REM
– less activation of PFC
Explain insomnia and its treatment
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep for at least 3 nights a week, for at least 1 month
- 9-20% of ppl experience insomnia
- Higher likelihood of insomnia amongst students (~25%):
- ADHD (3.48 times higher risk)
- Depression
- Employment
- Treatment: psychotherapy and/or hypnotic (e.g., Lunesta, Ambien)
- Concern about tolerance & side effects
Paradoxical insomnia
- Sleep-state misperception
- Sleep disorder where people believe they are sleep deprived despite having a normal sleep cycle
- Experience distress, anxiety & fatigue
- Cause is unclear – brain activity indicative of arousal during sleep
- Irrational beliefs & excessive worry
What are night terrors
sudden waking episodes
characterized by screaming, sweating and
confusion – followed by return to deep sleep
* Most common in children (3-8), harmless
What is sleep apnea
blockage of the airway during sleep
* SIDS
Narcolepsy
- Rapid and unexpected onset of sleep
- Directly into REM sleep
- Cataplexy
- Affects humans and animals
- Associated with lack of orexin
Somnambulism
- Walking while fully asleep
- Vague consciousness of world around
them - Stage 3 sleep
- Perfectly safe to wake!
What is biologically based addiction
- Body becomes so accustomed to functioning in the
presence of a drug it cannot function in its absence
REM behavior disorder
- Not paralyzed during & can act out
dream
How is technology related to sleep loss
1) person awakens intermittently
2) light exposure
National sleep foundation poll about sleep deprivation & technology
- Children with mobile device in room: 7.4 hours sleep per night
- Children without mobile device in room: 8.3 hours
What do psychoactive drugs to the body
- Affect the nervous system in different ways
- Some alter limbic system
- Some alter neurotransmission
- Recap agonist, antagonist, reuptake
What are psychoactive drugs
- Substances that contain chemicals similar to those
found naturally in brain that altering biochemistry (neurotransmission) - Influence emotions,
perceptions, behaviours – cancreate dependence
Caffeine (stimulant), nicotine (stimulant), alcohol (depressant) & THC (stim & dep)
What is psychologically based addiction
- People believe they need the drug to respond to the stresses of daily living
What does tolerance mean
means more needed to achieve effect
What is physical dependence
- Physical dependence is related to withdrawal whereas psychological dependence is related to cravings
What are stimulants
Drugs that have an arousal effect on CNS – rise in blood pressure, heart rate, and muscular tension
What does caffeine do as a stimulant
increase in attentiveness, decrease in reaction time –
improvement in mood (adenosine)
Nicotine as a stimulant
activates neural mechanisms similar to cocaine
- Enhances norepinephrine & acetylcholine, promotes dopamine activates SNS
What are amphetamines
- Strong stimulants like Dexedrine & Benzedrine (speed)
- Small doses – sense of energy, talkativeness, heightened confidence, increase concentration,
reduced fatigue, mood ”high” - Prolonged use – paranoia, reduction in sexual desire –Large doses can result in convulsion & death
Link between amphetamines & ADHD
- ADHD associated with lower levels of dopamine, seek
stimulation - Drugs like Adderall increase levels of dopamine, serotonin, & norepinephrine
- No ADHD leads to euphoria,
increased wakefulness, better ability to cope with stress
Explain cocaine
- Small doses produce feelings of profound psychological wellbeing, awake and energetic,
increased confidence, less hunger/sleepy - Larger doses: anger, violence, irritability, etc.
- Fidgeting (dopamine)
- “Highs” due to dopamine (blocks reabsorption) – floods the brain
What do downers do in your brain
- Slow down CNS – neurons fire more slowly
- Typically increase GABA activity
What do small doses of downers do
temporary feelings of intoxication along with euphoria & joy
What do large doses of downers do
speech becomes slurred, muscle control becomes
disjointed, making motion difficult
* Heavy users may lose consciousness entirely
Explain alcohol
- Most commonly used depressant
- Stimulating at low doses (via dopamine),, euphoric, depressant
effects kick in with higher doses - Lowers inhibition, “social lubricant” ,
impairs judgment - Magnifies emotions
- Females experience effects more heavily (same weight, higher BAC)
What is the balanced placebo design
- What we expect to happen plays a role in social behaviour
- Disentangle physiological effects from influence of expectation
- Placebo drinkers behaviour similar to
alcohol drinkers - Expectations more important than
physiological in influences social
behaviours (e.g., aggression)
When are barbituates prescribed, what are the risks and how does it act with alcohol
Barbituates prescribed to induce sleep or reduce stress (produce
sense of relaxation)
* Psychologically & physically addictive
* With alcohol:relaxes muscles of the diaphragm to such an extent
that user stops breathing (deadly)
When are benzodiazepines prescribed
Benzodiazepines prescribed to treat anxiety & panic
* Highly addictive
* Excessive use can lead to tolerance (also memory impairment)
* Deadly with alcohol
What are quaaludes
- Methaqualone (brand name Quaaludes)
- CNS depressant – sedative & hypnotic (increases GABA)
- Popular in 1970s – taken so commonly as a recreational drug
that it has been banned for 30 years - Bill Cosby
What are narcotics
- Drugs that increase relaxation & relieve pain and anxiety
- Highly addictive
- E.g., heroine & morphine – derived from poppy seed pods
- Medical to abuse pipeline
Name some opioids and explain what they are
Morphine, heroin, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl
* CNS depressant – drowsiness, drift in & out of consciousness (nod off), binds to opioid receptors – dopamine agonist
* Euphoria & relaxation, blur boundaries between wakefulness & dream-like consciousness
* Reduced pain awareness (blocks pain messages)
* Depress respiration
What are hallucinogens and what do they do
- Capable of producing
hallucinations or changes in perception - LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, marijuana, ecstasy, salvia (was
legal until 2016!) - Interest in therapeutic value
- Mystical experiences
- Treatment-resistant challenges
What is MDMA & LSD
MDMA & lysergic acid diethylamine (LSD,
acid) – work primarily on serotonin, alter perception
* Ecstasy: users report peacefulness & calm,
increased empathy & connection, relaxed
but energetic LSD produces vivid hallucinations (can be
wondrous or terrifying)
* Alteration in sensory perception & distortions in time
What is Marijuana
Marijuana -THC (tetrahydrocannabinol)
- Effects are a mix of excitatory, depressive, and mildly hallucinatory
- Trigger spontaneous, unrelated ideas, distorted perceptions of time & place, increased sensitivity to sounds, tastes, and colours – erratic verbal behaviour
- Memory impairment, “spaced out”
- Cannabinoid receptors abundant in hippocampus – impairs memory consolidation
What does prolonged cannabis use cause
- Impaired cognitive function (reversible)
- Reduced dopaminergic function
What is cannabis induced psychosis
Cannabis-induced psychosis
- Hallucinations, delusions, disorganized
thinking, paranoia (like schizophrenia) - Risks: high THC content, frequency of use, age of first use, family history of mental health
- Not well understood but linked to dopamine
release - Can last a few hours to long-term (cannabis- induced psychotic disorder)
