PSY-Chapter 4

Consciousness

Basic awareness of both internal and external stimuli

Internal awareness

Range from feelings of hunger or pain to even thoughts and emotions

External Stimuli

Generally more physical and include detection of light, the feeling of temperature or even listening during a conversation

Sleep

State marked by relatively low physical activity as well as a reduced sense of awareness

Wakefulness

Encompasses relatively higher levels of sensory awareness, thought, activity, and behavior

Biological Rhythms

Encompasses all cyclical patterns of bodily change ranging from fluctuation of body temperature to an individual’s menstrual cycle

Circadian Rhythm

Biological rhythm that cycles every 24 hours. Our sleep-wake cycle, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, and body temp

Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Sense of time is maintained in this part of the hypothalamus and acts as a clock of sorts

Pineal Gland

Releases melatonin to regulate our sleep-wake cycles

Person’s Chronotype

Individual differences in circadian patterns of activity

Sleep Regulation

Refers to the brain’s control of switching between sleep and wakefulness as well as coordinating this cycle with the outside world

Jet Lag

Collection of symptoms that results from the mismatch between our internal circadian cycles and our environment

Insomnia

Consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep for at least three nights a week over a month’s time

Rotating Shift Work

Refers to a work schedule that changes from early to late on a daily or weekly basis

What has been shown to help when the Circadian rhythm is off?

Bright light

Sleep Debt

Person not getting sufficient sleep on a chronic basis. Consequences include decreased levels of alertness and mental efficiency

How much sleep does the National Sleep Foundation (nd) suggest newborns get?

Between 12-18 hours a night

Depression-like symptoms

Can occur from accumulating sleep-debt or in response to more acute periods of sleep deprivation

With only four hours of sleep, what symptoms might a person encounter?

Irritability, distractibility, and impairments in cognitive and moral judgement

When a person hasn’t slept in over 48 hours what might start happening?

Hallucinations

Meta-analysis

Study that combines the results of many related studies

Sleep

Distinguished by low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness.

Associated with the secretion and regulation of a number of hormones from several endocrine glands including: melatonin, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), and growth hormone

Sleep Rebound

Refers to the fact that a sleep-deprived individual will fall asleep more quickly during subsequent opportunities for sleep

Sleep-wake Cycles

Seem to be controlled by multiple brain areas acting in conjunction with one another

Thalamus and Hypothalamus are related to what sleep form?

Slow wave sleep

Pons is related to what sleep form?

REM

What contains the SCN or the biological clock of the body?

Hypothalamus

Melatonin

Thought to be involved in the regulation of various biological rhythms and the immune system

Pituitary Gland

Secretes both FSH and LH which are important in regulating the reproductive system. Also secretes growth hormone during sleep

Evolutionary Psychology

Discipline that studies how universal patterns of behavior and cognitive processes have evolved over time as a result of natural selection

Evolutionary psychology believes “sleep is essential to restore resources that are expended during the day”; what has research shown us about this view?

Little research supporting

Suggested that there is no reason why energetic demands couldn’t be addressed with periods of rest and inactivity

Found a negative correlation between energetic demands and the amount of time spent sleeping

One theory believes “sleep patterns have evolved as an adaptive response to predatory risks, which increase in darkness. Thus we sleep in safe areas to reduce chance of harm.” What is thought about this view?

Shown that ancestors spent extended periods of time asleep to reduce attention to themselves from predators

Comparative research indicates that the relationship that exists between predatory risk and sleep is very complex and equivocal

Species that face higher predatory risks sleep fewer hours than other species

No relationship between sleep and predation risk

What is slow-wave sleep essential for?

Memory formation

Benefits of sleep

Increased capacity for creative thinking, language learning, and inferential judgements

Possible that also involved in processing emotional information

Sleep can be divided into what phases

REM sleep and Non-REM sleep(NREM)

REM or Rapid Eye Movement

Characterized by darting movements of the eyes under closed eyelids. Brain waves during REM appear very similar to brain waves during wakefulness

Non-REM or NREM

Subdivided into four stages distinguished from each other and from wakefulness by characteristic patterns of brain waves

First three stages of sleep are ______,__ while the fourth and final stage is ________

NREM; REM

Stage 1 Sleep

Transitional phase that occurs between wakefulness and sleep. Ex. Drifting off to sleep

First stage of NREM.

What happens physically to our body during Stage 1 of sleep?

Slowdown in both the rates of respiration and heart rate. A marked decrease in both overall muscle tension and core body temp

What waves are associated with Stage 1 of sleep?

Theta and Alpha waves

Alpha Waves

Relatively low-frequency, high amplitude patterns of electrical activity that become synchronized.

Resembles someone very relaxed but awake

Theta Waves

Even lower frequency, higher amplitude brain waves

Stage 2 Sleep

Body goes into a state of deep relaxation. Theta waves still dominate the activity of the brain, but they are interrupted by brief spurts of activity known as Sleep Spindles

Sleep Spindle

Rapid burst of higher frequency brain waves that may be important for learning and memory

K-Complex

Very high amplitude pattern of brain activity that may in some cases occur in response to environmental stimuli

Might serve as a bridge to higher levels of arousal in response to what is going on in our environment

Stage 3 Sleep

Referred to as deep sleep or slow-wave sleep because this stage is characterized by low frequency, high amplitude Delta Waves

What happens to our bodies during Stage 3 Sleep?

Heart rate and respiration slow dramatically

If you have increased levels of alpha brain wave activity, what might you feel in the morning?

Not refreshed upon waking

REM Sleep

Period of sleep where dreaming occurs

Associated with paralysis of muscle systems in the body with the exception of those that make circulation and respiration possible

Paradoxical sleep because of this combination of high brain activity and lack of muscle tone

REM Rebound

If people are deprived of REM sleep and then allowed to sleep without disturbance, they will spend more time in REM sleep in what would appear to be an effort to recoup the lost time in sleep

What does REM rebound suggest?

REM sleep is homeostatically regulated

May actually represent an adaptive response to stress in non depressed individuals suppressing the emotional salience of aversive events that occured in wakefulness

Manifest content

Actual content, or storyline, of a dream

Latent Content

Refers to the hidden meaningC

Carl Jung

20th century swiss psychiatrist believed that dreams allow us to tap into the collective unconscious

Collective Unconscious

Theoretical repository of information Jung believed to be shared by everyone

Rosalind Cartwright

Believes that dreams simply reflect life events that are important to the dreamer

Has empirical support

Horikawa, Tamaki, Miyawaki, and Kamitani

Uncovered a way to effectively detect and classify the visual images that occur during dreaming by using FMRI for neural measurement of brain activity patterns

Alan Hobson

Credited for developing Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming

Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming

Early versions proposed that dreams were not the meaning-filled representations of angst but were rather the result of our brain attempting to make sense of (“synthesize”) the neural activity (“activation”) that was happening during REM sleep

Update: Dreaming may represent a state of protoconsciousness. I.e. Dreaming involves constructing a virtual reality that may help us during wakefulness

Lucid Dreams

Certain aspects of wakefulness are maintained during a dream state. A person becomes aware they are dreaming and can then control the dreams content

Insomnia

Consistent difficulty falling or staying asleep

Most common sleep disorder

Not uncommon for these people to experience increased levels of anxiety about sleep

Chronic Insomnia

Almost always associated with feeling overtired and may be associated with symptoms of depression

Treatment for Insomnia

Limit use of stimulants (caffeine).

Increase their amount of physical exercise.

Over the counter or prescribed medications.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive process and problem behaviors

Parasomnias

Unwanted, disruptive, motor activity and/or experiences during sleep

Can occur during REM or NREM

Examples of Parasomnias

Sleep walking

Restless leg syndrome

Night terrors

Sleepwalking/Somnambulism

Sleeper engages in relatively complex behaviors ranged from wandering about to driving a vehicle

Most often occurs during slow wave sleep

Treatment for Somnambulism

Pharmacotherapies like Benzodiazepines to Antidepressants

Guilleminault et al

Benzodiazepines did not alleviate sleep walking for patients who also suffered from sleep-related breathing problems. They showed a marked decrease in sleep walking when their breathing problems were effectively treated.

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)

Occurs when the muscle paralysis in REM sleep does not occur

Behaviors can include kicking, punching, scratching, yelling, and behaving like a frightened animal

Associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease

Treatment for REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Clonazepam

Anti-anxiety medication with sedative properties sometimes with melatonin

Restless leg syndrome

Uncomfortable sensations in the legs during periods of inactivity or when trying to fall asleep.

Relieved by deliberately moving the legs

What other health problems are restless leg syndrome associated with?

Chronic kidney disease and diabetes

Treatments for Restless leg syndrome

Benzodiazepines

opiates

anticonvulsants

Night Terrors

Sleeper experiences a sense of panic and may scream or attempt to escape

Sleep apnea

Individuals stop breathing during their sleep, usually for 20-30 seconds or longer

Obstructive sleep apnea

Airway becomes blocked and air is prevented from entering the lungs

Central sleep apnea

Disruption in signals sent from the brain that regulate breathing cause periods of interrupted breathing

Treatment for sleep apnea

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Infant stops breathing during sleep and dies

Infants younger than 12 months at highest risk

Boys have higher risk than girls

Risk factors for SIDS

Premature birth

Smoking within the home

Hyperthermia

What is seen in kids that die from SIDS?

Differences in brain structure and function

Narcolepsy

Irresistible urge to fall asleep during waking hours. Often triggered by heightened arousal or stress

Cataplexy

Lack of muscle tone or muscle weakness. Sometimes complete paralysis of the voluntary muscles

Hypnagogic Hallucinations

Vivid-dream like hallucinations

Treatment for Hypangogic Hallucinations

Psychomotor stimulated drugs - amphetamine

These drugs promote increased levels of neural activity

What is associated with having reduced levels of the signaling molecule hypocretin in some areas of the brain?

Hypnagogic Hallucinations

Physical Dependence

Involves changes in normal bodily functions -- user will have withdrawal from the drug upon cessation of drug

Psychological Dependence

Emotional need for the drug and may use to relieve distress

Tolerance

Linked to physiological dependence occurs when person requires more and more drug to achieve effects previously experienced at lower doses

Withdrawal

Includes a variety of negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued

Depressant

Drug that tends to suppress CNS activity

Example of depressant

Barbiturates and Benzos ----- Agonists drugs

Stimulants

Drugs that tend to increase overall levels of neural activity

Usually dopamine agonists which work by preventing the reuptake of dopamine

Methamphetamine

Amphetamine that can be made from ingredients readily available

Euphoric High

Feeling of intense elation and pleasure

Caffeine

Involves antagonizing adenosine activity

Nicotine

Interact with acetylcholine receptors

Plays a role in arousal and reward mechanism

Opioids

Serve as analgesics through their effects on the endogenous opioid neurotransmitter system