13.5 Flashcards
Neural Bases of Sleep (18 cards)
From which part of the brain is melatonin secreted?
Pineal gland
What is the reticular activating system and what is it proposed to be responsible for?
Large reticulum (mixture of cell nuclei and nerve fibers) that runs through the center of the brainstem; associated with sleep-wake behavior; also called the reticular formation
What is a coma and what is one cause of it?
A prolonged state of deep unconsciousness resembling sleep; damage to the brainstem.
What two brainstem systems influence waking EEG?
Basal forebrain and Median raphe
What is the dominant neurotransmitter in the basal forebrain?
ACh
What behavior is associated with the basal forebrain?
Alert but immobile behavior
What is the dominant neurotransmitter in the median raphe?
Serotonin
What kind of activity is usually associated with the median raphe?
Movement
What is the peribrachial area?
Cholinergic nucleus in the dorsal brainstem having a role in R-sleep behaviors; projects to medial pontine reticular formation
Where is the peribrachial area located?
In the dorsal brainstem just anterior to the cerebellum
What is the medial pontine reticular formation (MPRF)?
Nucleus in the pons that participates in R-sleep
Where does the MPRF send projections to and what does it do?
Basal forebrain to excite cholinergic neurons and activate EEG; excites brainstem motor nucleus to produce rapid eye movements and other twitches; subcoerulear nucleus to produce atonia
What formation of the brain does the subcoerulear nucleus excite so paralysis is achieved in REM sleep?
The magnocellular nucleus of the medulla, which sends projections to the spinal motor neurons to inhibit them
The ______ in the central region of the brainstem is associated with sleep-waking behavior
Reticular activating system
Damage to the RAS produces __________
coma
The peribrachial area and the MPRF; through activating pathways to the neocortex and spinal cord, are responsible for producing events associated with ________ sleep
REM
Cats with lesions to the _________ nucleus act out their dreams
subcoerulear
If you nod off to sleep at an inappropriate or inconvenient time, why does moving awaken you?
We have separate neural systems for keeping us awake while we are still (cholinergic) and awake when we move (serotonergic). Movement activates our serotonergic neurons, restoring arousal levels
