biopsych ch 8

During ______, cells in the pons send messages that inhibit the motor neurons that control the body's large muscles.

REM sleep

What does cataplexy involve?

an attack of muscle weakness while awake

The relationship between sleep stage and dreaming is that dreams ______.

are more frequent and more vivid in REM sleep

What is a typical characteristic of insomnia?

consistently getting less than 6 hours of sleep per night

If suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons are disconnected from the rest of the brain, they ______.

continue to produce activity that follows the circadian rhythm

Rob's body temperature fluctuates throughout the day and is usually the lowest ______.

in the middle of the night

Compared to the earlier part of the night, the later part of a night's sleep ______.

includes a larger percentage of REM sleep

During sleep, what happens in the brain?

increased firing by GABA neurons

The most potent zeitgeber for land animals (including humans) is ______.

light

EEG waves are larger when brain activity decreases because ______.

neurons are becoming more synchronized

The SCN is located just above the ______.

optic chiasm

The sequence of the bursts of neural activity during REM sleep is ______.

pons -> LGN -> occipital cortex

During which stage of sleep do we see sleep spindles and K-complexes?

stage two

Orexin, produced by neurons in the hypothalamus, appears to be necessary for ______.

staying awake

According to the activation-synthesis hypothesis, what do dreams reflect?

the brain's attempt to make sense of spontaneous neural activity