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State of Consciousness - Coggle Diagram
State of Consciousness
Consciousness
What is consciousness?
Our
awareness
of
internal and external stimuli.
Internal stimuli: feeling pain, hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and being aware of our thoughts and emotions.
External stimuli: seeing the light, feeling the warmth, and hearing the voice of a friend.
States of consciousness
Wakefulness
is characterized by high levels of sensory awareness, thought, and behavior.
Sleep
is a state marked by relatively low levels of physical activity and reduced sensory awareness.
Others: daydreaming, intoxication, meditative states, hypnotic states, and altered states (sleep deprivation), unconscious states (drug-induced anesthesia).
Often, we are
not completely aware of our surroundings
, even when we are fully awake.
Biological rhythms
Biological rhythms
are internal rhythms of biological activity. A recurring, cyclical pattern of bodily changes.
E.g. woman’s menstrual cycle.
Circadian rhythms
are biological rhythms that take place over a period of about 24 hours.
E.g. sleep wake cycles.
Problems with circadian rhythms
Disruption of normal sleep:
Circadian rhythms can get out of sync with the outside environment.
Jet lag: travel across time zones, resulted in a collection of symptoms when there is a mismatch between circadian cycles and the environment: fatigue, sluggishness, irritability, and insomnia.
Rotating shift work: schedule changes so frequently that makes it hard to maintain circadian rhythms.
Insufficient sleep:
Sleep debt: not get sufficient sleep on a chronic basis.
Consequences:
Decreased levels of alertness and mental efficiency.
Depression-like symptoms.
Impaired immune system.
Associated with obesity, increased blood pressure, increased levels of stress hormones.
Fall asleep more quickly.
Difficulty staying awake when they stop moving. => dangerous to drive.
Affects cognitive and motor function.
Melatonin
released by pineal gland, regulates sleep-wake cycles.
Melatonin release is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light.
=> Circadian cycles are aligned with the outside world, but not always.
A person’s chronotype is the individual differences in circadian rhythms.
Sleep regulation refers to the brain’s control of switching between sleep and wakefulness as well as coordinating this cycle with the outside world.
Homeostasis
is the tendency to maintain a balance, or optimal level, within a biological system.
Hypothalamus is responsible for it.
The biological clock is in
suprachiasmatic nucleus
(SCN) inside hypothalamus. It syncs with the outside world via axons of light sensitive neurons in the retina.
Sleep
What is sleep?
Homeostatic regulation of sleep: sleep rebound following sleep deprivation.
Sleep rebound: tend to take a shorter time to fall asleep.
Sleep-wake cycles are controlled by multiple brain areas working together, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, the pons.
Sleep involves many hormones: Melatonin, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and growth hormone.
Why do we sleep?
No clear understanding of why it is that we sleep.
Why sleep deprivation improves the mood is not entirely understood. Maybe it changes emotional processing.
Hypotheses
Adaptive function
of sleep
Evolutionary psychology perspectives:
Restore resources that are expended during the day.
Adaptive response to predatory risks that increase in darkness: Sleep in safe areas to reduce the chance of harms.
These perspectives are not supported by research.
It is possible that sleep serves no single universally adaptive function.
Benefits associated with adequate amounts of sleep: Maintaining healthy weight, lowering stress levels, improving mood, and increasing motor coordination, cognition and memory formation.
Cognitive function
of sleep
Theory: Sleep is important for cognitive function and memory formation.
Sleep deprivation results in impaired cognitive function.
Sleeping after learning a task can improve the performance of that task.
Increase capacity for creative thinking, language learning, inferential judgements.
Stages of sleep
Non-REM
(NREM) sleep
Stage 1
Transitional phase between wakefulness and sleep.
Slow down breathing and heartbeats.
Decrease in muscle tension and core body temperature.
Brain waves: Alpha waves (8-13hz) first and then theta waves (4-7Hz).
Easy to awake.
Stage 2
Deep relaxation.
Theta waves dominate.
Sleep spindle: A rapid burst of higher frequency brain waves.
May be important for learning and memory.
K-complex: A very high amplitude pattern of brain activity that may in some cases occur in response to environmental stimuli.
Stage 3&4
Deep sleep or slow-wave sleep.
Delta waves (4 Hz) dominate.
Breathing and heartbeats slow dramatically.
Difficult to awake.
REM
(Rapid eye movement) sleep
May involve in learning, memory, and emotional processing and regulation.
Paradoxical sleep: High brain activity and lack of muscle tone.
Paralysis of muscle systems (except circulation & respiration).
Dreaming occurs.
Brain waves appear very similar to wakefulness.
Characterized by rapid movements of the eyes under closed eyelids.
REM rebound
: If deprived of REM sleep, person will spend more time on REM sleep. (
Yesterday less REM sleep might lead to today longer REM sleep
).
Maybe homeostatically regulated.
May be an adaptive response to stress on non-depressed people.
REM deprivation
: The consequences are less profound than sleep deprivation in general.
Can be beneficial: improve symptoms of depression. Effective antidepressant medications suppress REM sleep. Evidence inconclusive.
Dream
Lucid dreams
: Certain aspects of wakefulness are maintained during a dream state.
Sigmund Freud
Dreams are opportunities to gain access to the
unconscious
.
Analyzing dreams
could increase self-awareness and gain insights.
Manifest content
: The actual content, or storyline, of a dream.
Latent content
: Hidden meaning.
Carl Jung
Dreams allow us to tap into the
collective unconscious
.
Collective unconscious
: Theoretical repository of information he believed to be shared by everyone.
Certain symbols in dreams reflected universal archetypes with meanings that are similar for all people regardless of culture or location.
Believed in the field of
parapsychology
.
Rosalind Cartwright
Dreams simply reflect life events that are important to the dreamer.
Have
empirical support
.
E.g. positive correlation between the degree of women thought about their former spouses during waking hours and number of time they appeared as characters in their dreams.
Hobson
Dreaming may represent a state of protoconsciousness.
Constructing a virtual reality in our heads that we might use to help us during wakefulness.
Cites research on
lucid dreams
to better understand dreaming in general.
Lucid dreams
are dreams in which certain aspects of wakefulness are maintained during a dream state.
Sleep problems and disorders
30% to 50% of the population suffers from a sleep disorder at some point in their lives.
Insomnia
Consistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep.
Increased levels of anxiety about the inability to fall asleep => increased arousal => harder to fall asleep.
Chronic insomnia leads to feeling overtired and symptoms of depression.
Factors: Age, drug use, exercise, mental status, and bedtime routines.
Treatments
Limit the use of stimulant drugs (caffein).
Physical exercise during the day.
Sleep medications. Should not use often because of dependence and altered nature of the sleep cycles.
Psychotherapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy:
Type of psychotherapy that focuses on cognitive processes and problem behaviors.
Treat insomnia by stress management techniques and changes in problematic behaviors.
Parasomnia
Unwanted, disruptive motor activity and/ or experiences during sleep.
Sleepwalking, restless leg syndrome, night terrors, misc.
Sleepwalking (somnambulism)
Engage in complex behaviors during sleep.
Eyes are open but will not communicate.
Often occurs during slow-wave sleep, but it can occur at any time during a sleep period.
Treatment: Benzodiazepines, antidepressants with questionable results.
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)
Muscle paralysis associated with the REM sleep phase does not occur
=> high levels of physical activity during REM sleep, especially during disturbing dreams.
Associated with neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s disease).
Treatments: Clonazepam (maybe with melatonin), modified sleeping environment.
Restless leg syndrome
Uncomfortable sensations in the legs during periods of inactivity or when trying to fall asleep
=> relieved by deliberately moving the legs => harder to sleep.
Associated with chronic kidney disease, diabetes.
Treatments: Benzodiazepines, opiates, and anticonvulsants.
Night terrors
Quickly awakens from sleep in a terrified state. Often scream and attempt to run away.
Have no memories of what happened and hard to console.
Easy to fall back asleep within short time.
Occur during the NREM.
Treatments are unnecessary.
Sleep apnea
Stop breathing 10-20s during sleep.
May not be aware but can increase fatigue level.
Loud snoring.
Common in overweight people, exacerbating cardiovascular disease.
2 types
Obstructive sleep apnea: airway is blocked.
Central sleep apnea: brain signals which regulate breathing is disrupted.
Treatment:
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.
Expiratory positive air pressure (EPAP) device.
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
Infant stops breathing during sleep and dies.
Higher risk with under 12 months, boys than girls.
Risk factors: premature birth, smoking, hyperthermia.
Suggestion:
Place infants on their backs.
No items pose suffocation threats in cribs: blankets, pillows, padded crib bumpers.
No cap on infant head.
No smoking.
Narcolepsy
Cannot resist falling asleep at inopportune times.
Episodes similar to REM sleep.
Triggered by states of heightened arousal or stress.
Associated with:
Cataplexy: muscle weakness.
Reduced levels of the signaling molecule hypocretin in some areas of the brain.
Treatments: psychomotor stimulant drugs (amphetamines).
Substance use and abuse
Substance use disorder
Use more of the substance than they originally intended to.
Continue to use despite experiencing significant adverse consequences.
Physical dependence: experience withdrawal effects from the drug upon cessation of use.
Psychological dependence: emotional need for the drug, use the drug to relieve psychological distress.
Tolerance: requires more drug than previously.
Drug withdrawal: negative symptoms experienced when drug use is discontinued.
Drug categories
Depressants
Drugs suppress central nervous system activity.
Agonists of the gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter system.
Quieting effect.
Treat anxiety and insomnia.
I.E. alcohol, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines.
Alcohol
Decreases reaction time and visual acuity.
Lower levels of alertness.
Reduction in behavioral control.
Low dose: euphoria.
Dose increases: feeling sedated.
High dose: loss of memory/consciousness.
Causes fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) or fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Stimulants
Increase overall levels of neural activity.
Agonists of the dopamine neurotransmitter system.
Blocking the reuptake of dopamine in the neuronal synapse.
Examples: cocaine, amphetamines (methamphetamine), cathinones (bath salts), MDMA (ecstasy), nicotine, and caffeine.
Amphetamines
Treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
ADHD increases in neurotransmitter activity within certain areas of the brain associated with impulse control.
Abusers seek euphoric high: intense elation and pleasure.
Adverse effects:
Nausea, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate.
Anxiety, hallucinations, paranoia.
Altered brain functions: depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin).
Caffein
Antagonizing adenosine activity.
Cause insomnia, agitation, muscle twitching, nausea, irregular heartbeat, and even death.
Nicotine
Increase risks of heart disease, stroke, and a variety of cancers.
Interact with acetylcholine receptors.
Cocaine
Agonizes the dopamine neurotransmitter system by blocking the dopamine reuptake.
Crack is smokable and reaches the brain very quickly.
Opiods
Have analgesic properties: reducing pain and producing euphoria.
Heroin, morphine, methadone, and codeine.
Opiates: Natural opioids, derivatives of opium, found in the poppy plant.
Used as: analgesic drugs, cough suppressants, anti-nausea, and anti-diarrhea.
Hydrocodone, oxycodone.
Withdrawal resembles a severe case of the flu, not life threatening.
Methadone: synthetic opioid, less euphorigenic than heroin and similar drugs.
Can use to alleviate symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
Codeine: low potency. Treats minor pain. Over the counter.
Buprenorphine: treats pain and symptoms of opiate withdrawal.
Hallucinogens
Profound alterations in sensory and perceptual experiences (hallucinations).
Target different neurotransmitters:
Mescaline and LSD: serotonin agonists.
PCP (angel dust) and ketamine (an animal anesthetic): antagonists of the NMDA glutamate receptor.
Marijuana
Have medical potential.
Laws about it are complex. Federal laws still forbid it while some state laws allow it.
Medical community wants to relax the laws to study it.
This figure illustrates various drug categories and overlap among them. (credit: modification of work by Derrick Snider)
Other States of Consciousness
Hypnosis
Extreme self-focus and attention.
Minimal attention is given to external stimuli.
More effective to people who open to the power of suggestion.
Associated with global changes in brain functioning.
People undergoing hypnosis usually have clear memories of the hypnotic experiences and are in control of their own behaviors.
4 parts
The participant is guided to focus on one thing, such as the hypnotist’s words or a ticking watch.
The participant is made comfortable and is directed to be relaxed and sleepy.
The participant is told to be open to the process of hypnosis, trust the hypnotist and let go.
The participant is encouraged to use his or her imagination.
Enhance memory or skill a little.
Used for pain management, treatment of depression and anxiety, smoking cessation, and weight loss.
How it works
Dissociation theory: effective in a dissociated state of consciousness.
Social-cognitive theory:
People in hypnotic states as performing the social role of a hypnotized person.
People’s behavior can be shaped by their expectations of how they should act in each situation.
A hypnotized person’s behavior is their fulfillment of the social expectations for that role.
Meditation
The act of focusing on a single target (such as the breath or a repeated sound) to increase awareness of the moment.
Clearing the mind in order to achieve a state of relaxed awareness and focus.
Potential in:
Reduce blood pressure.
Manage hypertension.
Stress management.
Sleep quality.
Treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.
Pain management.