PS101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Chronobiology, Mescaline, Methadone
Document Summary
Consciousness: awareness of oneself and the environment. Biological rhythm: a periodic, more or less regular fluctuation in a biological system; may or may not have psychological implications. Biological clock in brains governs waxing and waning of hormone levels, urine volume, blood pressure, and even the responsiveness of brain cells to stimulation. Entrainment: the synchronization of biological rhythms with external cues, such as fluctuations in daylight. Endogenous: generated from within rather than by external cues. Body temperature fluctuates about one degree centigrade each day, peaking, on average, in the late afternoon and hitting a low point, or tough in the wee hours of the morning. Birds migrate south in fall, bears hibernate in winter, and marine animals become active or inactive depending on bimonthly changes in tides. In humans, female menstrual cycle occurs every 28 days on average. Biological rhythms influence everything from the effectiveness of medicines taken at different times of day to alertness and performance on job.
