PSYC 2410 Chapter Notes - Chapter 14: Slow-Wave Sleep, Constantin Von Economo, Reticular Formation
19 Apr 2012
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Document Summary
Four areas in the brain involved in sleep. Two areas of the hypothalamus involved in sleep: the case of constantin von economo. Wwi viral infection of the brain: encephalitis lethargic. Problems with exceissve sleep all had damage in the posterior hypothalamus and adjacent parts of the midbrain. Small group of victims of encephalitis lethargic who had teh opposite sleep-related problem: in constract, they had difficulty sleeping: victims had damage in the anterior hypothalamus and adjacent. Anterior hypothalamus promotes sleep: studies including lesions and recording brain activity confirmed. Reticular formation and sleep: bremer severed brain stems of cats between their inferior colliculi and superior colliculi in order to disconnect their forebrains from ascending sensory input. Although cut most of the same sensory fibers as the cerveau, normal sleep eeg cycle was not disrupted. Suggests structure for maintaining wakefulness was located somewhere in the brain stem between the two transections. Two important findings suggest this wakefulness structure was the reticular formation.
