States of Consciousness

~substance use disorders and psychoactive drugs~

psychoactive drugs- a chemical substance that alerts the brain causing changes in perceptions and mood

substance use disorder- a disorder characterized by continued substance use despite resulting life disruption

physical dependence- physiological need for drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when drug is discontinued

psychological dependence- psychological need to use drug, such as to relieve negative emotions(peer pressure)

depressants- drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

  • alcohol - motor skills, judgement, and memory

  • heroin

  • barbiturates- drugs that depress central nervous system activity, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

  • opioids- opium and its derivatives; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

tolerance- the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drugs effect.

addiction- an everyday term for compulsive substance use that continue despite harmful consequences

withdrawal- the discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing an addictive drug

Stimulants - drugs excite neural activity and speed up body functions

  • Nicotine- to provide energy

  • cocaine- immediate euphoria followed by crash

  • amphetamines- stimulate neural activity

  • ecstasy- produces euphoric high

  • caffeine- increases autonomic functions

  • methamphetamine

Hallucinogens- psychedelic drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

  • LSD

  • Marijuana

near-death experience- an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death; often similar to drug-insured hallucinations

  • duelists- the mind and body are 2 distinct entities that interact

  • monism- presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing

Dreams- a sequence of images, emotions and thoughts passing through a sleeping persons mind( happens in REM)

  • manifest content- the story line of our dreams often incorporate experiences or thoughts from the days events

  • Latent content- underlying meaning of a dream

REM bound- the tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation

Cognitive neuroscience- the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition(thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating)

duel processing- the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

~sleep stages and theories~

Stage 1- alpha waves- sense of falling, slow breathing, hallucinations( 5 minutes)

stage 2- theta waves- day dreams- sleep talking, bursts of rapid brainwave activity(10-20 minutes)

stage 3- delta waves- deepest sleep, sleep walk, hard to wake up(30-40 minutes)

REM sleep- beta waves- a recurring sleep stage during which dreams commonly occur- muscles are relaxed (30-50 minutes)

  • 1—2—3—2—REM

circadian rhythm- our biological clock; regular bodily rhythm that occur on a 24- hour cycle

NREM sleep- non rapid eye movement sleep; encompasses all sleep stages except for REM sleep

hallucinations- false sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus

hypnagogic sensations- bizarre experiences, such as jerking or a feeling of falling or floating while transitioning into sleep (stage 1)

alpha waves- the relatively slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

delta waves- the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

theta waves- high amplitude, slow, regular, daydreaming

beta waves- low amplitude, high frequency, fast and regular, rem sleep

suprachiasmatic nucleus(SCN)- a pair of cell clusters in the hypothalamus that controls circadian rhythm- responds to light

Why we sleep

  1. sleep protects

  2. sleep restores

  3. sleep aids memory

  4. sleep feeds creative thinking

  5. sleep supports growth

  6. sleep conserves energy

Sleep disorders

Insomnia- recurring problems in falling or staying asleep

Narcolepsy- uncontrollable sleep attacks, sufferer may lapse directly into REM sleep at inopportune times

sleep apnea- Temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

night terrors - high arousal during stage 3 sleep within 2-3 hours of falling asleep

sleep walking(somnambulism)- appearing awake while in stage 3 sleep

REM sleep behavior disorder- someone acts our their dreams while they are sleeping