The spark of thought: How neurons generate electricity
The emotional switchboard: Inside the limbic system
Keeping time: The master clock and circadian rhythms
mankai Chronotypes and Social Jetlag
My body wants the night, but the world wakes early (yeah, yeah!) / Caught in social jetlag every single morning (oh-oh!)
mankai Sitting right above the optic chiasm, the SCN translates light levels into signals that coordinate cellular clocks across all your organs.
mankai Morning light hitting your eyes instantly shuts down your brain's melatonin production.
mankai Tap the brain's electrical pulses to master how your circadian cycle controls sleep rhythms.
Blind cavefish: Even animals that live in complete, pitch-black darkness, like certain blind cavefish, still maintain a 24-hour circadian cycle.
A small region of the hypothalamus in the brain that regulates circadian rhythms. In 1972, researchers discovered that destroying this structure abolished 24-hour activity patterns in rodents.
Where in the human brain is the master biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), located?
Which small endocrine gland in the brain is responsible for producing and secreting melatonin?
What is the name of the light-sensitive pigment found in the retinal cells that communicate directly with the brain's master clock?
Which specific wavelength color of light is most effective at suppressing melatonin production in the brain?
What is the biological term for the mismatch between a person's biological sleep preference and their social schedule?