Sleep and Dreaming I
True or false: In a coma, you can not be woken up by external stimuli like intense sound or pain
True: A coma is a deep state of sleep-like long unconsciousness.
True or false: Sleep is a state of altered consciousness where your external awareness and responsiveness increase significantly.
False; External awareness and responsiveness decrease significantly.
What is the part of the nervous system that includes all the nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and brain to the rest of the body called?
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
What is the "love hormone", associated with feelings of social trust, bonding, and closeness?
Oxytocin
What disrupts your circadian rhythm?
Your circadian rhythm is disrupted by anything that confuses your internal body clock: artificial light at night, irregular sleep schedules, shift work, jet lag, caffeine, stress, alcohol, and mistimed meals.
What is your circadian rhythm, and what contributes to it?
Your body's natural 24-hour internal clock.
Possible answers to what contributes: Sunlight tells your brain to wake up/darkness tells your brain to make melatonin so you feel sleepy; Changes in core body temperature help signal times for alertness or sleep; meal times, genes, stress, etc. also contribute.
What are the three types of drugs we studied in this class?
Stimulants, depressants, and hallucinogens
What is the study of the interaction between genes and the environment called?
Epigenetics
What is sleep apnea?
A common medical condition where breathing stops and starts over and over during sleep.
What is narcolepsy, and what happens to people who have it?
A long-term brain disorder that ruins the body's ability to control sleep and wakefulness. It leads to extreme daytime sleepiness, sudden sleep attacks, and a temporary loss of muscle control triggered by strong emotions.
What are at least three examples of a stimulant?
Cocaine, caffeine, ADHD medication like Adderall, meth, nicotine, etc.
What chemical is associated with bonding and trust?
Oxytocin
What is the consolidation theory of dreaming?
Proposes that dreams are the conscious reflection of the brain organizing, sorting, and storing information gathered during the day.
What is the activation synthesis theory of sleep?
States that the higher brain (the cerebral cortex) tries to make sense of electrical signals by weaving them into a story. Proposes that dreams are a biological byproduct of random electrical impulses generated in the brain stem.
What are the effects of marijuana on the teen and young adult brain?
Can permanently alter how the brain develops and forms neural connections --> lowered IQ, learning difficulties, slowed thinking and processing, emotional dysregulation, risk of psychosis, etc.
The breakdown of this neurotransmitter is associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Acetylcholine
When is somnambulism most common?
Most common in children aged 4-12, with a peak around ages 8 to 12. About 15% experience it and most outgrow it.
What does nREM stand for, and what stages of the sleep cycle does it happen?
Non rapid eye movement, happens for the first three stages of sleep (N1-N3) before REM sleep.
Which part of your nervous system is involved in your "fight-or-flight" response, and what symptoms does this response include?
Sympathetic nervous system: elevated heart rate, dilated pupils, slowed digestive system, dry mouth, etc.
What does glutamate do?
Acts as the primary excitatory chemical messenger (neurotransmitter) in the human brain --> Stimulates nerve cells to pass signals, plays a vital role in learning, memory, and normal brain activity