Behavioral Neuroscience Biological Rhythms Nu Chu Liang Ph D ncliang8 illinois edu Psych Bldg 725 217 244 7873 Office H Mon 11 00 12 00 AM Objective to learn neural basis of biological rhythms sleep chemical senses and feeding to learn to apply knowledge to daily life How to do well Attend class and take notes Read the reading assignments Ask questions and join discussion in class Biological Rhythms Circannual yearly migratory cycle Infradian a day menstrual cycle Circadian daily human sleep wake cycle Ultradian a day meals sleep cycles Biological Rhythms Zeitgeber cues that synchronize biological rhythms Entrainment the process of synchronizing a biological rhythm to an environmental stimulus Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition Jet Lag what cause it http www stepandswing net Circadian Rhythms Free running rhythms Human free running period is 24 hrs Nathaniel Kleitman monitors sleep of assistant Bruce Richardson during sleep and wakefulness experiment in Mammoth Cave Kentucky 1938 Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc John Pinel Biopsychology Circadian Rhythms constant light vs constant dark Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition The Retinohypothalamic Tract Circadian rhythm of blind Photic information for SCN is neither rods nor cones why rod cone blind show normal circadian rhythm Melanopsin in ganglion cells in the retina pupillary response to light Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc Neil Carlson Physiology of Behavior Neural Mechanisms The Retinohypothalamic Tract Biological Psychology Fifth Edition Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition Neural Mechanisms Suprachiasmatic Nucleus SCN master oscillator of biological rhythms Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc Neil Carlson Physiology of Behavior Neural Mechanisms Intrinsic rhythm in the SCN more active during the light period isolated SCN neurons retain a periodic rhythm Light Dark Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc Neil Carlson Physiology of Behavior Firing Rate of Individual SCN Neurons in a Tissue Culture Specific genes and transcription factors are responsible for the firing rhythms intrinsic clock in the SCN cells Clock genes are also found in cells of other organ SCN pacemaker drives a number of slave oscillators each of which controls the rhythmic occurrence of one behavior e g body temperature Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc Neil Carlson Physiology of Behavior SCN SCN implant SCN cell activity is geneticallly programmed Lesions of the SCN lead to arrhythmic animal transplants of embryonic SCN cells restore the rhythm Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition Circannual Rhythm Controlled by day length Pineal gland seasonal rhythms secretes melatonin SCN fetal transplant does not restore circannual rhythm Copyright 2014 Pearson Education Inc John Pinel Biopsychology Circannual Rhythm SCN is involved in circannual rhythm male hamster testosterone secretion breeding season SCN paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus PVN sympathetic nervous system pineal gland Kolb Whishaw An Introduction to Brain and Behavior Fourth Edition SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder Winter SAD seasonal experience of sadness interpersonal difficulties decreased activity increased sleep time carbohydrate craving increased appetite weight gain respond to bright light therapy