One of the most mysterious things in the life of a human being since time immemorial is sleep. What controls it, and how do we wake up? What keeps our body functions running even when we are in the deepest form of sleep? There is no doubt that the questions are endless. The good news is that most of these questions have been answered through research. The reticular activating system (RAS) is now believed to be a significant component of the sleep wake cycle.
Scientists first encountered the RAS in 1949 and what we know today has its basis on this breakthrough discovery. It was established that the system is made up of multiple nuclei located in the brain stem and the thalamus. The name comes about because of the presence of numerous fibres that interconnect these fibres forming a reticular pattern. If the fibres are damaged for one reason or another, there will be disorders in sleep.
Connections within the RAS communicate by way of various chemicals. These chemicals are known as neurotransmitters and two main categories exist; cholinergic and adrenergic. It is common for these two types of chemicals to work in synergy or competition depending on the desired physiological response. The main cholinergic neurotransmitter is glutamate and the main adrenergic one is adrenaline.
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.
A number of diseases that affect the central nervous system are said to bear some relationship to a disorder of RAS. These are mainly the result of a slowing down of RAS activity which may happen with advancing age. Consequently there is a higher incidence of these diseases in the elderly compared to the general population. Examples include narcolepsy, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia.
Good leaders need to take care of their RAS. To achieve this, there is a need to have thought training regularly. One way in which this ca be achieved is to ensure that you take care of your personal issues promptly. This ensures that you are not constantly distracted. Setting of goals is also important.
Scientists first encountered the RAS in 1949 and what we know today has its basis on this breakthrough discovery. It was established that the system is made up of multiple nuclei located in the brain stem and the thalamus. The name comes about because of the presence of numerous fibres that interconnect these fibres forming a reticular pattern. If the fibres are damaged for one reason or another, there will be disorders in sleep.
Connections within the RAS communicate by way of various chemicals. These chemicals are known as neurotransmitters and two main categories exist; cholinergic and adrenergic. It is common for these two types of chemicals to work in synergy or competition depending on the desired physiological response. The main cholinergic neurotransmitter is glutamate and the main adrenergic one is adrenaline.
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.
A number of diseases that affect the central nervous system are said to bear some relationship to a disorder of RAS. These are mainly the result of a slowing down of RAS activity which may happen with advancing age. Consequently there is a higher incidence of these diseases in the elderly compared to the general population. Examples include narcolepsy, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder and schizophrenia.
Good leaders need to take care of their RAS. To achieve this, there is a need to have thought training regularly. One way in which this ca be achieved is to ensure that you take care of your personal issues promptly. This ensures that you are not constantly distracted. Setting of goals is also important.
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