For many centuries, the sleep wake cycle and how it is controlled remained a mystery to scientists all over the world. How do people come back to your state of wakefulness after falling into varying depths of sleep? You probably have never thought about it. Thanks to the efforts of brilliant physiologists, the process is now as clear as day. This event which can only be described as magical has now been established to be controlled by what is referred to as the reticular activating system or RAS.
Most of the knowledge we have today regarding the RAS was discovered in 1949 by curious researchers. It has been shown that this system is built around two vital structures in the brains of mammals, the thalamus and the brain stem. There are a number of nuclei located in both the thalamus and the brain stem. Reticular fibres connect these nuclei forming a reticular pattern hence the name. Injury to this area causes somnolence and lethargy.
The circuits that make up the RAS are modulated by a number of chemicals in the central nervous system known as neurotransmitters. There are two groups of these chemicals; cholinergic and adrenergic. Depending on the situation, these chemicals may work synergistically or competitively. Glutamate is the cholinergic neurotransmitter involved while adrenaline is the main adrenergic neurotransmitter. The release of these transmitters results in increased wakefulness.
Mediating the sleep wake transition is the main role of RAS. The rate of activation varies depending on the depth of sleep; more activation occurs during deep sleep while less activation happens in light sleep. Another role of the RAS is to mediate states of increased attention. It has been shown that during tasks that require increased alertness, there is an increase in blood flow to the midbrain and other areas of the RAS.
RAS is very important to survival. It helps in instructing the rest of the brain on what is important and what is not at any given point in time. This is very significant considering that we are faced with tons of information in our environment. These come in the form of stimuli that may be auditory, visual, tactile or gustatory. There is need to filter these and leave out the irrelevant.
There are a number of factors that have been found to affect the system negatively. Preterm deliveries are one of the factors that may compromise the RAS functioning. A good number of children born preterm shows signs of disturbed sleep wake cycle. This problem may persist into adulthood. Smoking during pregnancy is another factor that notoriously affects the cycle. The children will often suffer excessive arousal.
Taking control of your RAS will require that you train your thoughts regularly. If successfully done, one can greatly improve their leadership skills. Ensure that you always take care of your personal issues in time so as to free your thoughts. Another important skill is the creation of clear short term and long term goals.
As a leader, one needs to always be in control of their RAS. This can be achieved by undergoing regular thought training. Taking care of personal issues in timely issues helps free up your mind. It is also very important that you have properly planned short term and long term goals.
Most of the knowledge we have today regarding the RAS was discovered in 1949 by curious researchers. It has been shown that this system is built around two vital structures in the brains of mammals, the thalamus and the brain stem. There are a number of nuclei located in both the thalamus and the brain stem. Reticular fibres connect these nuclei forming a reticular pattern hence the name. Injury to this area causes somnolence and lethargy.
The circuits that make up the RAS are modulated by a number of chemicals in the central nervous system known as neurotransmitters. There are two groups of these chemicals; cholinergic and adrenergic. Depending on the situation, these chemicals may work synergistically or competitively. Glutamate is the cholinergic neurotransmitter involved while adrenaline is the main adrenergic neurotransmitter. The release of these transmitters results in increased wakefulness.
Mediating the sleep wake transition is the main role of RAS. The rate of activation varies depending on the depth of sleep; more activation occurs during deep sleep while less activation happens in light sleep. Another role of the RAS is to mediate states of increased attention. It has been shown that during tasks that require increased alertness, there is an increase in blood flow to the midbrain and other areas of the RAS.
RAS is very important to survival. It helps in instructing the rest of the brain on what is important and what is not at any given point in time. This is very significant considering that we are faced with tons of information in our environment. These come in the form of stimuli that may be auditory, visual, tactile or gustatory. There is need to filter these and leave out the irrelevant.
There are a number of factors that have been found to affect the system negatively. Preterm deliveries are one of the factors that may compromise the RAS functioning. A good number of children born preterm shows signs of disturbed sleep wake cycle. This problem may persist into adulthood. Smoking during pregnancy is another factor that notoriously affects the cycle. The children will often suffer excessive arousal.
Taking control of your RAS will require that you train your thoughts regularly. If successfully done, one can greatly improve their leadership skills. Ensure that you always take care of your personal issues in time so as to free your thoughts. Another important skill is the creation of clear short term and long term goals.
As a leader, one needs to always be in control of their RAS. This can be achieved by undergoing regular thought training. Taking care of personal issues in timely issues helps free up your mind. It is also very important that you have properly planned short term and long term goals.
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