PSYC 106 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Insomnia, Caffeine, Periaqueductal Gray
Document Summary
During wakefulness, astrocytes convert glycogen into fuel for neurons, producing adenosine as a waste product which inhibits neural activity: accumulation of adenosine promotes sleep, during sleep, the astrocytes renew glycogen levels. Neural control of arousal: neurons that play role in arousal: acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin, histamine, and orexin, acetylcholine acetylcholine neurons located in pons and basal forebrain. Agonists increase eeg signs of arousal (small, desynchronized waves) and antagonists decrease them. Ach levels high during awake state and rem, low during slow wave sleep: norepinephrine. Locus coeruleus neurons in pons release norepinephrine to important brain areas (cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, pons, medulla) High levels during awake and slow wave sleep, but low in rem: serotonin. Raphe nuclei neurons in reticular formation (pons and medulla) release serotonin to important brain areas (thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, hippocampus, cortex) Activation (release of serotonin) causes locomotion and cortical arousal: drugs that prevent synthesis of serotonin reduces arousal.
