dreams
In Freud’s ‘disguised censorship’ theory of
dreaming, why is dream content ‘censored’?
We have repressed wishes deep within the mind that are discharged or played out when we dream.
Name and describe the two broad ‘types’ of insomnia
Sleep onset insomnia: difficulty falling asleep
Sleep maintenance insomnia: difficulty staying asleep/resuming sleep
Describe the age range when narcolepsy typically occurs.
10-20 years old
Night terrors and confusional arousals arise during this stage of sleep.
slow-wave sleep
Describe REM behavior disorder
Loss of normal muscle paralysis during REM sleep: act out dreams, can be violent
Describe the dream lag effect and one study used to test this effect.
A delay (typically days) between the episodic memory source and associated dream element. Study: buffalo sacrifice film experiment.
How do cortisol rhythms differ in individuals with insomnia compared to healthy controls?
Cortisol remains elevated for individuals with insomnia at the beginning of sleep and in the early morning.
A common trigger of cataplectic attacks
Intense emotion
Sleep terrors are one type of NREM parasomnia featuring these symptoms
Panic, screaming, inconsolable, complete/partial amnesia
This part of the brain appears to be dysfunctional in REM behavior disorder
Brainstem
Describe the ‘Sleep to Forget, Sleep to Remember’ model of REM sleep
REM sleep serves the function of “forgetting” the emotional tone associated with the memory, yet preserves the memory itself.
Describe one major concern about sleeping pills.
Don’t produce natural sleep - target GABA receptors (produce sedation)
Describe sleep paralysis and one non-sleep phenomenon it helps explain.
Temporary inability to talk/move when falling asleep or waking up. Usually occurs during transition out of REM. Believed to explain majority of “alien abductions”
Describe one possible cause of parasomnias.
Inappropriate activation of “fight or flight” nervous system. Brain tries to go from SWS straight to wake but gets stuck between sleep/wake.
This part of the brain is faulty in fatal familial insomnia
Thalamus
What do studies of amnesics playing Tetris tell us about hypnagogic dreams?
Hypnagogic dreams don’t come from classic memory store of the hippocampus.
List the four areas of the brain that are ‘hyper-active’ in insomnia patients?
Brainstem, amygdala, thalamus, cingulate
This neurotransmitter stabilizes the
‘sleep-wake’ switch in the
hypothalamus and is decreased in
narcolepsy.
Orexin
This person was the first individual to successfully use sleepwalking as a defense in court.
Albert Jackson Tirrell Case of 1846
This disease provides proof that sleep is vital for human survival
Fatal familial insomnia
Describe how scientists can test for the presence of lucid dreaming.
Lucid dreamers are placed in an fMRI scanner and asked to perform a motor action while awake and while dreaming. Similar brain activity is observed in both wake and sleep.
Describe DSM-5 criteria that must be met to receive an insomnia diagnosis.
A. Dissatisfaction with sleep quantity or quality (e.g., difficulty falling asleep, staying sleep, early-morning awakening)
B. Causes significant distress or daytime impairment
C. Occurs at least 3 nights/week, for >3 months
Name and describe the four primary symptoms of narcolepsy
Excessive daytime sleepiness; hypnagogic hallucinations; sleep paralysis; cataplexy
Who is Kenneth Park? What happened to him?
23 year old Toronto man with
wife and infant daughter
suffering from severe insomnia.
Stabbed mother-in-law to death
and assaulted father-in-law. Jury
ruled he wasn’t responsible for
actions because of history of
sleepwalking
Describe the treatment for REM behavior disorder
Clonazepam and antidepressants