PSYC 2240 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Night Terror, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, Visual Cortex
12 Sep 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Circadian rhythms affect our eating/drinking/urination/hormone secretion + etc. Also fluctuates with mood, we"re happiest in late afternoon. Light critical for resetting circadian rhythm, even though they persist without. Jet lag: disruption of circadian rhythm due to crossing time zones. Stress elevates blood levels of adrenal hormone cortisol, prolonged elevation of cortisol damages neurons in hippocampus (memory) People who work night shift cannot adjust completely, even if working for years. Morning + evening people, most intermediate between the two. Evening adolescent people have problems, lower grades, risky behaviour etc. Brain generates biological clock, insensitive to most forms of interference. Remains steady despite food/water deprivation, xrays, tranquilizers etc. Suprachiasmatic nucleus (scn): main driver of rhythms for sleep + body temperature, part of the hypothalamus. Generates circadian rhythm in genetically controlled manner, can function isolated. Most input to this path from retina to scn (retinohypothalamic path) does not come from normal retinal receptors.
