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Chapter 19
brain rhythms and sleep
12
Other
Undergraduate 4
11/30/2010

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Term
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Definition
a measurement of electrical activity generated by the brain and recorded from the scalp
Term
generalized seizure
Definition
pathologically large and synchronous neural activity that spreads to encompass the entire cerebral hemispheres
Term
partial seizure
Definition
pathologically large and synchronous neural activity that remains localized to a relatively small region of the brain
Term
epilepsy
Definition
a chronic brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures
Term
rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep)
Definition
a stage of sleep characterized by low-amplitude, high-frequency EEG waves, vivid dreams, rapid eye movements, and atonia
Term
non-REM sleep
Definition
a stage of sleep characterized by large, slow EEG waves, a paucity of deams, and some muscle tone
Term
atonia
Definition
the absence of muscle tone
Term
ultradian rhythm
Definition
any rhythm with a period significantly less than 1 day
Term
circadian rhythm
Definition
any rhythm with a period of about 1 day
Term
zeitgeber
Definition
any environmental cue, such as the light-dark cycle, that signals the passage of time
Term
suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
Definition
a small nucleus of the hypothalamus just above the optic chiasm that receives retinal innervation and synchronizes circadian rhythms with the daily light-dark cycle
Term
clock gene
Definition
a gene that is critically involved in the molecular mechanism of the circadian rhythm; clock genes are translated into proteins that regulate their own transcription, and their expression rises and falls over a cycle of about 24 hours
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