Summary
Biological Rhythms Summary
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- Biopsychology
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- AQA
Summary and AO3 of biological rhythms in psychology
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AL Paper 2Types of Biological Rhythms
All living things are subjected to biological rhythms, these are physical or psychological
process that happen over a specific period of time. All biological rhythms are governed by two
things: body’s internal biological clocks (endogenous pacemakers) and the external changes in
the environment (exogenous zeitgebers)
Infradian Rhythm
Infradian rhythms repeat less than once every 24 hours (longer than a day), e.g.
monthly like the menstrual cycle. The human menstrual cycle is controlled by
hormones (endogenous pacemakers). The endogenous pacemakers of the
menstrual cycle are the rise of oestrogen and other hormones, which lead to
ovulation, coordinated by the pituitary gland. The average appears to be
around 28 days. The menstrual cycle is regulated by hormones, which either
promote ovulation or stimulate the uterus for fertilisation. Ovulation occurs
roughly through the menstrual cycle, when oestrogen levels peak, and usually
lasts for 16 to 32 hours.
Example of Infradian Rhythm - menstrual cycle
Circadian Rhythm
Repeat once every 24 hours e.g. sleep wake cycle.
Circadian rhythms are found in all of the cells of the
body. neurons - know when we are awake so they
can be active. Muscles know when we are asleep so
they can do repairs.
These cells are synchronised by the master circadian
pacemaker, The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the
hypothalamus..
The pacemaker must constantly be reset so that our bodies are in synchrony with the
outside world. To do this it resets in input from the environment i.e. light/dark
Example of Circadian Rhythm – sleep wake cycle
When light - sun triggers a decrease in melatonin which leads to us
being awake.
When dark - sun triggers an increase in melatonin which leads to us
being more asleep.
Example of Circadian rhythm – body temperature
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