Sleepwalking

Question 1

Can sleepwalkers recall their activities done while sleepwalking once they wake up?

Answer 1

No

Question 2

‘The inability to recall actions after waking can be distressing and dangerous’ true or false?

Answer 2

True

Question 3

What is incomplete arousal?

Answer 3

Incomplete arousal explains sleepwalking as a disorder of arousal as the person is engaging in activities associated with being awake while in deep sleep

Question 4

What type of sleep is the person engaging in?

Answer 4

Slow wave sleep (SWS)

Question 5

What is sleepwalking?

Answer 5

Sleepwalking is when a person takes part in activities usually characterised by wakefulness.

Question 6

What are EEGs?

Answer 6

Recordings of brain activities made during sleepwalking

Question 7

Is it difficult to wake up sleepwalkers?

Answer 7

Yes as they are in sws

Question 8

What do EEGs show about the brain waves in the sleepwalking state?

Answer 8

There is a mixture of delta waves (typical of slow wave sleep) and beta waves (found in the awake state)

Question 9

What does the mixture of beta and delta waves mean in terms of the arousal of the person?

Answer 9

It shows that it is incomplete arousal as explained

Question 10

Another explanation of sleepwalking suggests that what 5 risk factors appear to increase the likelihood of sleepwalking? (Plazzi et al, 2005)

Answer 10

1) Sleep deprivation
2) Alcohol
3) Fever
4) Stress
5) Psychiatric conditions

Question 11

The risk factors proposed by Plazzi et al (2005) only trigger in certain people, what does this suggest?

Answer 11

This suggests that sleepwalking may have a genetic basis that means some people have an inherited vulnerability for sleep walking

Question 12

What is a possible reason why sleepwalking is more common in children?

Answer 12

Because children have more SWS than adults

Question 13

How many children are affected by sleepwalking? How many adults? (In percentages)

Answer 13

20% of children

3% of adults

Question 14

What did Oliviero (2008) suggest as an explanation for why sleepwalking is more common in children?

Answer 14

That a system that normally inhibits motor activity in SWS is not sufficiently developed in children and this may be the case in some adults

Question 15

What did Oliviero find?

Answer 15

Compared to normal controls, motor excitability of adult sleepwalkers during wakefulness showed signs of immaturity in relevant neural circuits

Question 16

Name some evidence that supports the idea that sleepwalking may be heritable?

Answer 16

Broughton (1968) found that the likelihood of sleepwalking in first degree relatives of an affected subject is at least 10x greater than in the general population.

Lecendreux et al (2003) found a 50% concordance rate in MZ twins compared to DZ twins who only have a 10-15% chance of sleep walking

Question 17

If sleepwalking only had a genetic basis what would the concordance rate be in MZ twins?

Answer 17

100%

Question 18

What does the concordance rate of sleepwalking in MZ twins suggest about sleepwalking?

Answer 18

That environmental factors play a role in sleepwalking

Question 19

What does the diathesis stress model propose?

Answer 19

That genes merely provide a vulnerability for sleepwalking but only occur in situations of environmental stress

Question 20

What did Zarda et al (2008) find?

Answer 20

Zarda at al (2008) found that 50% of suspected sleepwalkers kept awake in a lab showed signs of sleepwalking on the first night and rose to 90% on the second night

Question 21

What does Zarda et al’s (2008) finding suggest?

Answer 21

Sleep deprivation alone does not lead to sleepwalking in normal individuals, but was acting as a stressor in individuals who had a vulnerability for sleepwalking

Question 22

What Zarda support?

Answer 22

The diathesis stress model

Question 23

What are the real world applications for these explanations of sleepwalking?

Answer 23

Sleepwalking has been claimed as defence in some murder cases

Question 24

What is the jules lowe case?

Answer 24

Jules Lowe attacked his 82 year old father in 2003. He claimed to have no recollection of this and was prone to sleepwalking so sent to a psychiatric institute.