PS101 Lecture Notes - Memory Consolidation, Barbiturate, Melatonin
Document Summary
A periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system. Rhythms can be synchronized with external (entrainment) or internal cues (endogenous) Occur approx. every 24 hours (eg. sleep-wake cycle) Removed from cues about 10% of people have clocks running slower and 10% running faster. Controlled by biological clock in suprachiasmatic nucleus (scn: regulates levels of melatonin secreted by pineal gland. Increase in accidents at transition to daylight savings time. Internal desynchronization: a state in which biological rhythms are not in phase (synchronized) with one another, changes in your normal routines can cause desynchronization, may also occur in response to jet lag, rotating shift work, daylight savings time. Seasonal affective disorder (sad) not a form of desynchronization: a disorder in which a person experiences depression during the winter and an improvement in the spring, treatments may involve phototherapy or exposure to florescent light. Inconsistent findings with respect to prevalence (2-20%) and effectiveness of treatments.
