States Of Consciousness .

Altered States of Consciousness Altered state: a significant increase or decrease in the number of brain neurons firing. Our activities, thought patterns, sleep and psychoactive drugs all influence our state of consciousness. Vice versa, the level of our brain’s activity influences our mood, thoughts and behaviors.

The EEG or electroencephalograph measures our level of brain activity Electrodes are placed on the scalp to detect number of electric impulses coming from the surface of our brain. It then transforms electric impulses into brain waves. More frequent electric impulses create more frequent brain wave patterns

Some Activities increase our level of brain activity Aerobic exercise Working on a challenging, engaging task Helping others Engaging social interactions Experience novelty—as travel, learn new skills, meet new people.

Low levels of physical activity decreases brain activity and over time will make us bored and depressed

Being a couch potato has short-term gains—long term losses

Level of brain activity during our stages of sleep Brain waves become less frequent as we move through the 3 stages of Non-REM sleep. Then our brain becomes very frequent during REM

We move through stages of Non-REM and REM 4 or 5 times a night We move through stages of Non-REM and REM 4 or 5 times a night. Each time we move through stages of non-REM and REM is a sleep cycle

What is the purpose of sleep? Sleep helps restores our immune system and rejuvenates and repairs our body’s tissue. Sleep further consolidates our previous day’s memories. Sleep supports our growth and greatly enhances our overall performances the following day.

Purpose of REM Sleep High level of brain activity enables us to be alert to nocturnal predators High level of brain activity enables Hippocampus to further consolidate memories & send to cortex for storage. Dreams are the brain’s effort to make sense out of all the neural activity: creates a story or dream

What are the consequences of sleep deprivation? Decreased ability to focus attention and process and store new information Increase in risk of depression Increased production of fat cells, higher blood pressure, increased inflammation in joints & reduced muscle strength Increase in hunger-arousing hormone

Psychoactive Drugs: Depressants All depressants slow down neural activity by enhancing the action of GABA Make us feel relaxed, calm & less inhibited but also reduce capacity for learning Some depressants increase the action of dopamine, including alcohol and opiates, which enhance their addictive properties.

Stimulants: Increase our arousal neurotransmitters By increasing serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, they increase our alertness and ability to learn and form memories

Stimulants reduce the reuptake of our major arousal neurotransmitters, serotonin dopamine and norepinephrine

Who are the most likely candidates for drug dependency? Lack of purpose and options in one’s life Need to escape state of boredom, loneliness or stress Impulsive nature with lack of self-control