Question 1

Dolphins do not exhibit _______ sleep, most likely because motor inhibition during this stage would not allow the dolphins to surface for air.

Accepted Answer

Dolphins do not exhibit REM sleep because during this stage, muscle atonia occurs, which would prevent them from surfacing for air.

Question 2

Which of the following is not a biological function of sleep?

Accepted Answer

Dreaming is a phenomenon that occurs during sleep, but it is not considered a biological function of sleep like memory consolidation, body restoration, and energy conservation.

Question 3

Autopsy results from people who have died of fatal familial insomnia show evidence of degeneration in the

Accepted Answer

Fatal familial insomnia is a prion disease that primarily affects the thalamus, leading to its degeneration. The thalamus is crucial for regulating sleep, and its degeneration results in the severe sleep disturbances characteristic of the disease.

Question 4

Rats trained in a reaching task show a higher proportion of off-line neurons in the _______ cortex when they _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Rats trained in a reaching task show...

Question 5

There are four major interacting neural systems involved in sleep. One region crucial to the activation of wakefulness is the

Accepted Answer

The reticular formation is a crucial neural system involved in the activation of wakefulness, as it plays a key role in regulating arousal and consciousness.

Question 6

Cats with lesions just ventral to the locus coeruleus sometimes

Accepted Answer

Lesions in the area ventral to the locus coeruleus can disrupt the normal inhibition of motor activity during REM sleep, causing cats to physically act out their dreams.

Question 7

Narcolepsy is no longer considered a type of epilepsy but rather a serious sleep disorder. Patients who suffer from narcolepsy have lost a large majority of the _______-containing neurons in the _______.

Accepted Answer

Narcolepsy is associated with the loss of hypocretin (also known as orexin) neurons in the hypothalamus, which are crucial for regulating wakefulness and sleep.

Question 8

Most modern sleeping pills, such as triazolam, act via receptors for the neurotransmitter

Accepted Answer

Most modern sleeping pills, including triazolam, work by enhancing the activity of GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) receptors, which are inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain that promote relaxation and sleep.

Question 9

Review the experimental evidence-from lesions, and transplants-confirming the hypothesis that the mammalian hypothalamus houses a master clock entrained by light-dark information.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Review the experimental evidence-from lesions, and transplants-confirming...

Question 10

Discuss evidence suggesting that there is a genetic molecular pacemaker involved in establishing circadian rhythms and that there are oscillators outside the SCN.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss evidence suggesting that there is a...

Question 11

Briefly review the neurophysiology and ecological significance of rhythms longer or shorter than 24 hours.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly review the neurophysiology and ecological significance...

Question 12

Give a description of the rhythm and stages of human sleep and their physiological correlates.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Give a description of the rhythm and...

Question 13

Describe the content and frequency of reported dreaming during REM and other sleep stages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the content and frequency of reported...

Question 14

Describe ways in which sleep patterns may change, either as a natural consequence of aging or as a result of experimental manipulation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe ways in which sleep patterns may...

Question 15

Compare sleep patterns across various groups of animals, noting, as appropriate, species differences and the possible evolutionary bases for these differences.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare sleep patterns across various groups of...

Question 16

Discuss the hypotheses that have been advanced to explain why we sleep, citing experimental data, where appropriate.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the hypotheses that have been advanced...

Question 17

Summarize the research that identified the major neural centers involved in regulating sleep stages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Summarize the research that identified the major...

Question 18

Describe two of the major sleep disorders, their apparent causes, and the currently available treatments.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe two of the major sleep disorders,...

Quiz 14: Biological Rhythms, Sleep, and Dreaming