crammer workshop Biopsychology Check the Spec Devise a revision target list Skip to it We are going to have a go at some tailor made revision exercises 5 mins for 5 things The Nervous System has 2 main parts the Central Nervous System CNS and the Peripheral Nervous System ID: 909876
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Biopsychology top tips" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Biopsychology
top
tips
crammer workshop
!
Slide2Biopsychology – Check the Spec!
Devise a revision target list.
Slide3Skip to it!
We are going to have a go at some tailor made revision exercises
Slide45 mins for 5 things
Slide5The Nervous System has 2 main parts – the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System.
The CNS consists of the brain
and the spinal cord. The brain is within the skull and the spinal cord is within the vertebrae.
Spinal cord responsible for reflex actions (brain not involved!)
Slide6Peripheral Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous System
Responsible for vital functions and autonomic processes – like breathing, digestion, stress responsesHas two states: normal (parasympathetic) and aroused (sympathetic)Somatic Nervous SystemControls muscle movementReceives sensory information
Slide7The Fight or Flight Response
This arousal can often be coined as a
“fight or flight response”, which has been seen to have evolved as part of our evolutionary history.
The sympathetic nervous system is agonistic – it creates changes and arousal.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for returning the body to a relaxed state. (rest/digest). This system is antagonistic.
The hypothalamus recognises that there is a threat
It sends messages to
The adrenal gland (specifically the adrenal medulla
This triggers the release of
Adrenaline to the endocrine system and noradrenaline in the brain
This prompts the following changes (PTO)
Slide8Physiological signs of arousal
Increased pupil size – allows more light to enter the eye
Bronchial tubes dilate – intake more oxygenIncrease in heart rate - greater blood flow, more oxygenGlycogen stored in liver converted to glucose
Sweat glands begin to produce sweat
Adrenal medulla stimulated to release adrenalin.
Slide9What is involved?
The ANS
controls life-maintaining processes such as heart rate; transmits information to and from internal organs.
The sympathetic division of ANS
prepares body for action and the
parasympathetic division
conserves/stores energy.
This explain Jim Bob's increased heart rate in emergency action (...my heart was beating so fast...) as well as the increased action of adrenal glands and energising effect (...moved with such speed/shaking).
The brain
alerts Jim Bob to the threat ('I realised it was coming closer...', 'I decided to run…', 'I saw a bus…').
Devise a revision target list.
Slide105 mins for 5 things
Slide11ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
These release
adrenalin directly into the bloodstream which prepares the body for
fight or flight
by constricting blood vessels in the stomach. This inhibits digestion and gives you that sick feeling as well as increasing your heart rate
This
controls
the release of hormones from all other endocrine glands…an important gland!
This facilitates the release of the female hormones –
oestrogen
and
progesterone - reproduction
This facilitates the release of the male hormones –
testosterone
Thyroid gland produces the hormone
thyroxine
. This hormone affects cells in the heart (increases heart rate). It also affects cells throughout the body increasing
metabolic
rates (the chemical processes taking place in the cells). This in turn affects
growth rates
This facilitates the release of the
melatonin
which is responsible for
sleep
This
regulates the pituitary gland
Slide12The
sympathetic nervous system
controls what has been called the "Fight or Flight" phenomenon It controls the necessary bodily changes needed when we are faced with a situation where we may need to defend ourselves or escape. FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSEAnxiety and fear are important for survival because they act as a mechanism to
protect
the
body
against stress and
danger
You are walking down a dark street at night by yourself. Suddenly you hear what you suspect are footsteps approaching you rapidly.
What happens?
Your
sympathetic nervous system
kicks in and in an instant, your body is prepares itself for either defence or escape.
Pituitary
gland
releases adrenocorticotrophic hormone – ACHT ACHT affects adrenal glands causing them to release
adrenaline into the bloodstream….enabling the body to take action and protect itself in dangerous situations, either by running away FLIGHT or fighting FIGHT
Now imagine that the footsteps belong to a good friend who catches up to you and offers to walk you home. You feel relief instantly, but your body takes longer to adjust. In order to return everything to normal, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in. This system is slow acting, unlike its counterpart, and may take several minutes or even longer to get your body back to where it was before the scare.
Parasympathetic is like a
brake…reducing
activity that the
sympathetic
caused
Also know as the rest and digest response
These two subsystems are at work constantly
shifting your body to more prepared states and more relaxed statesEvery time a potentially threatening experience occurs (e.g., someone slams on their breaks in front of you), your body reacts
Slide13Slide14Slide155 mins for 5 things
Slide16Human nervous
system
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Central nervous system (CNS)
Autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Spinal cord
Brain
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Slide17Generally arouses the body
Generally creates a physiological calm
Complete “Are you Sympathetic (or Parasympathetic)?
prepares the body to use energy for fight or flight
maintains and conserves body energy and functions
Slide18Nucleus -
the control centre of a cell, which contains the cell's chromosomal DNA
Dendrite -
Receives the nerve impulse or signal from adjacent neurons
Axon
Where the electrical signals pass along
Myelin sheath
Insulates /protects the axon from external influences that might effect the transmission of the nerve impulse down the axon
Nodes of
ranvier
These
speed up the transmission of the impulse by forcing it to ‘jump’
Terminal buttons
Terminal buttons send signals to an adjacent cell
NEURONS AND NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Slide19Three types of neurons
Relay Neuron
Carries messages from the
CNS
to effectors such as muscles and glands
Short dendrites and long axons
Transfers messages from sensory neurons to other interconnecting neurons or motor neuron
Short dendrites and short or long axons
Carries messages from the
PNS
to the brain and spinal cord
Long dendrites and short axon
Slide20nerve impulse travels down an axon
nerve impulse reaches synaptic terminal
this triggers the release of neurotransmitters
the neurotransmitters are fired into the synaptic gap
neurotransmitter binds with receptors on the dendrite of the adjacent neuron
if successfully transmitted the neurotransmitter is taken up by the post-synaptic neuron
the message will continue to be passed in this way via electrical impulses
Synaptic transmission
Excitatory
-
they make it more likely the next neuron will fire
(such as acetylcholine)
Inhibitory
-
they make it less likely the next neuron will fire
(such as GABA
)
Slide21Slide22Slide235 mins for 5 things
Slide24LOCALISATION OF FUNCTION
Specific functions of the brain have specific locations in the brain
Franz Gall’s
theory of phrenology (looking at the structure of the skull to determine a persons character) was influential but quickly discredited
Visual centres
Auditory centres
Motor cortex
Somatosensory cortex
Language centres (
Broca’s
area and Wernicke’s area)
Slide25Slide26Visual centres
Located in the visual cortex in the
occipital lobe
Visual processing begins in
retina
(light enters and strikes the photoreceptors (rods and cones))
Nerve impulses from the retina travel to areas of the brain
via the optic nerve
Some travel to areas of the brain involved in coordination of circadian rhythms
Most terminate in the thalamus, this acts as a relay station
passing info to visual cortex
6. Visual cortex spans both hemispheres
7. The right hemisphere receiving its input from the left-hand side of the visual field and vice versa
8. Visual cortex contains different areas that process different types of visual info such as colour, shape and movement
Slide27Hemispheric
Lateralisation
Hemispheric lateralisation - this is when one hemisphere carries out a particular functionLeft hand side of body is controlled by RIGHT motor cortex. Lateralised
means that one particular side of the brain deals with that task
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
Language
(speech production and comprehension)
Spatial processing
Holistic processing
Slide28Motor cortex
Responsible for generation of voluntary motor movements
Located in frontal lobe along the bumpy region (!) the precentral gyrusOn both hemispheres – motor cortex on right hemisphere controlling muscles on left side of body and vice versaDifferent parts of the motor cortex control different parts of the bodyThese are arranged logically – the region that controls the foot is next to the region that controls the leg
Slide29Somatosensory cortex
Detects sensory events from different regions of the body
In parietal lobe along a region called the postcentral gyrusDedicated to the processing of sensory info related to touchUses sensory info from skin to produce sensations such as touch pressure, pain, temperature which it then localises to specific body regions
5. Both hemispheres have a somatosensory cortex
6. The cortex on one side of the brain receives sensory info from the opposite side of the body
Slide30Language centres – Broca’s area
Named after Paul Broca, French neurosurgeon
Treated a patient called ‘Tan’ – unable to speak other than this one word (but did understand language)Studied 8 other patients who similar language deficits, along with lesions in their left frontal hemispherePatients with damage to their right frontal hemisphere did not have the same problemsThis lead him to identify the existence of a language centre in the back portion of the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere (Broca 1865)
6. Believed to be critical for speech production
7. HOWEVER neuroscientist have found that when people perform cognitive tasks (nothing to do with language) their
Broca
area is active
8.
Fedorenko
(2012) discovered 2 regions of
Broca’s
area – one selectively involved in language, the other involved in responding to many demanding cognitive tasks (such as performing maths problems)
Slide31Language centres – Wernicke’s area
German neurologist called Carl Wernicke
Discovered another area of the brain that was involved in understanding languageBack portion of left temporal lobePatients with lesions on their Wernicke’s area could speak but were unable to understand languageProposed that language involved separate motor and sensory regions located in different cortical regionsThe motor region, located in Broca’s area, is close to the area that controls the mouth, tongue and vocal cords.
The sensory region, located in
Wernickes
area, is close to the regions of the brain responsible for auditory and visual input
Input from these regions transferred to Wernicke’s area when recognised as language and associated meaning
There is a neural loop (arcuate fasciculus) running between
Broca’s
area and Wernicke’s area
At one end lies
Broca’s
area – responsible for the production of language
At the other lies Wernicke’ area – responsible for the processing of spoken language
Slide32A03
Not all researchers agree that cognitive functions
are localised in the brain. It’s the extent of the damage rather than the location we need to look atThere are individual differences in language areas – for example women have proportionally larger
Broca’s
and Wernicke’s areas than men, the result of greater use of language (
Harasty
et al (1997)
Damage
to the brain e.g. after a stroke can result in aphasia – the inability (or impaired ability) to understand or produce language
Lots of support comes from case studies (e.g. Phineas
Gage) which allow for rich in-depth data….
However
, case studies are very unique to that particular person so there may be issues with generalizability
Two
of
Broca’s
patients had their brains preserved. This has allowed for MRI scanning. The findings revealed that other areas of the brain could have also contributed to the patients’ reduced speech abilities. (Dronkers et al (2007)Support also comes from neurological evidence – Dougherty et al (2002) demonstrated that OCD symptoms and behaviours are localised (lesions to the cingulate
gyrus (frontal lobe) and 1/3 showed positive response rate to the surgery)Plasticity causes some contradicitry evidence as when the brain is damaged, the brain is able to reorganise itself to recover… challenges the localisation theory ~
Lashley called this the law of equipotentiality (other areas chip in so action can still be achieved)What might be more important is how brain areas communicate with each other, rather than which specific brain regions control a particular cognitive process (see
Lashley 1950 in PHG)
Slide33SPLIT BRAIN RESEARCH
language
The left and right side communicates through the corpus callosum
Visual motor tasks
Remember
Broca
? He found that damage to a particular area of the left brain hemisphere lead to language problems, yet damage to the same area in the right side did not have the same consequence
Slide34Sperry (1968) split brain research
Split-brain patients originally came about by accident. There was a treatment for severe epilepsy whereby a surgeon would cut through the corpus callosum, the aim was to prevent the violent electrical activity that accompanies the seizure crossing from one hemisphere to the other
Slide35Sperry and
Gazzaniga
(1967)
Tested
capabilities of
separated
hemispheres
Left visual field goes to right hemisphere, right visual field goes to left hemisphere
Corpus callosum is cut in split-brain patients
The information presented to one hemisphere has no way of travelling to the other hemisphere and can only be processed in the hemisphere that received it
In a study the split-brain patient would focus on a dot in the centre of a screen
Info was presented to either the left or right visual field
Asked to respond with either their left hand (controlled by the RH) or right hand (controlled by the LH) or verbally (which is controlled by the LH), without being able to see what their hands were doing
The information from the LVF is processed in the RH which can see the picture, but as it has no language centre, cannot respond verbally.
The LH, which does have a language centre, does not receive the information about the picture, therefore cannot say it has seen it.
What can we learn from split-brain research?
There are differences between the two hemispheres
LH responsible for speech and language
RH specialises in visual-spatial processing and facial recognition
Connectivity is as important as the functions of specific parts
Slide36Slide37Slide38Neural Plasticity
The concept of the brain developing and changing in response to the environment is referred to as
plasticity
Slide39Example of Plasticity – Maguire et al.
MRI scans of brains of 50 healthy, right handed, male, non taxi drivers aged 33 - 61 were analysed to establish a comparison data base of ‘average hippocampi’.
Slide40Example of Plasticity – Maguire et al.
Maguire found that the right posterior (back) hippocampus was larger for taxi drivers than those who were not. The taxi drivers had a smaller anterior hippocampus (front).
There was a positive correlation between amount of change and time spent as a taxi driver. Maguire suggested that their job had caused their brain to change and matter moved from the front to the back to support their spatial navigation abilities.
Slide41Functional Recovery
There are three main anatomical ways that the body can replace axon function in the brain after trauma:
Increased brain stimulation. As neurons are damaged there is an effect on the neighbouring neurons as they no longer have input. This happens with the hemispheres too. Although damage may only be on one side, the other hemisphere functions at a lower level too, as it has reduced input. Work by Takatsuru et al. (2009), demonstrated that if the undamaged hemisphere is stimulated, recovery from a stroke can be improved.Axon sprouting. When an axon is damaged its connection with a neighbouring neuron is lost. In some cases, other axons that already connect with that neuron will sprout extra connections to the neuron, replacing the ones that have been destroyed. It is compensating for the loss of a neighbour. This occurs for the most part two weeks after the damage happens. It helps replace function, but only if the damaged axon and the compensatory axons do a similar job. If not, problems can occur with function.
Denervation supersensitivity.
This occurs when axons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost. However, it can have the unfortunate consequence of over-sensitivity to messages such as pain. This increases the pain levels in an individual.
Slide42Factors affecting recovery of the brain after trauma
Perseverance.
Functional recovery after brain trauma is dependent on assessment and perseverance. Sometimes a function may appear to be lost but that may be because the individual affected may not be trying and takes the view that it is unrecoverable. Physical exhaustion, stress and alcohol consumption. When function is recovered in an individual it is important to remember that often the f unction is used with considerable effort and although the person can do a task, they are often fatigued by the effort.
Age.
There is a deterioration of the brain in old age and this therefore affects the extent and speed of recovery (
Corkin
et al, 1989)
.
Gender.
There is research to suggest that women recover better from brain injury as their function is not as lateralised (concentrated in one hemisphere).
Exam Question
Slide44Slide455 mins for 5 things
Slide46WAYS OF STUDYING THE BRAIN
PET SCANNING
It is hard to pinpoint exact areas of the brain so even if PET scans are clear; they are still fairly broad in their imaging.
They are ethical up to a point because they are relatively non-evasive compared with surgery;
however, the injection is invasive. They can be distressing.
PET scans are reliable; they are replicable and the same areas are highlighted.
PET scans are valid because their findings match other findings and they do measure what they claim to measure (e.g. the area pinpointed for speech is the same as that found by other methods).
Radioactive material (tracer) is injected
(the
brain uses glucose as energy), the areas of the brain which are most active absorb it. Computer produces coloured images of the level of activity occurring throughout the brain.
fMRI SCANNING
They are scientific, replicable and reliable.
They are valid in that what is found by the scans is real.
Highly ethical as non-invasive and virtually risk-free
In comparison to other techniques, rather expensive and needs the patient to lie very still to capture image
Hard to pin point exactly what is occurring in the brain as the scan only shows blood flow and not specific activity in the brain
Measures brain activity in specific areas by detecting associated changes in blood flow.
EEG SCANNING
The resolution on and EEG is much better than scans such as fMRI so brain activity can be detected to a single millisecond
EEG’s are useful with the diagnosing of disorders such as epilepsy, which can be easily detected on screen. Has also helped with understanding biological sleep rhythms
EEG’s receive information from thousands of neurons – this in itself provides difficultly pinpointing exact source of brain activity
A record of the brain wave patterns produced by millions of neurons, producing characteristic patterns.
ERP’s
Many of the weaknesses of EEG are strengths of ERP’s. E.g.; can specify neural activity
ERP’s can be applied to cognitive approach and has helped identify different cognitive processes such as working memory
Lacks reliability as standardisation has been hard to determine – findings have not been consistent
Extraneous variables have been hard to control when ERP’s have been conducted so the validity of the findings could be questioned.
Isolating specific responses of neurons to specific stimuli or tasks
Post mortems
Broca
and Wernicke relied on post mortems to identify
language
centres of the brain
Post mortems
improve
medical knowledge and help
generate
hypothesis
Cause of death
always
an issue
/ something
to be wary of - Some brains may have deficits.
Ethical issue in relation to patients giving informed consent before dying
Correlating behaviours before death with brain structures after death
Slide475 mins for 5 things
Slide48CIRCADIAN
RHYTHMSA circadian rhythm is one that occurs about once a day. An example of this is the sleep-wake cycle. This cycle is controlled by endogenous pacemakers which are the internal biological clocks and by the exogenous zeitgebers which are external factors in the environment that affect the cycle (such as light/dark and temperature). The pacemakers work together to regulate our daily pattern of sleeping and being awake.The suprachiasmatic
nucleus (SCN) is a tiny bundle of nerve cells located in the hypothalamus in each hemisphere in the brain. IT is one of the primary endogenous pacemakers in mammalian species including humans and is influential in maintaining circadian rhythms such as the sleep-wake cycle. Nerve fibers connected to the eye cross is an area called the optic chiasm on the way to the visual area of the cerebral curt. The SCN lies just above the optic chiasm. It receives information about light directly from the structure. This continues even when our eyes are closed enabling the biological clock adjust to changing patterns of daylight whilst we are asleep.
The SCN passes the information on day length and light that it receives to the pineal gland. (a pea-like structure in the brain just behind the hypothalamus). During the night the pineal gland increases production of melatonin (a chemical that induces sleep and is inhibited during periods of wakefulness). Melatonin has also been suggested to be a casual factor in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
The German work
zeitgebers
means time-giver. Exogenous
zeitgebers
are external factors in the environment that reset our biological clocks that controls the sleep-wake cycle continues to tick in a distinct cynical pattern. Thus sleeping and wakefulness would seem to be determined by an interaction between internal and external factors.
Light is a key
zeitgebers
in humans. It can reset the bodies’ main endogenous pacemaker. The SCN and thus plays a role in the maintenance of the sleep-wake cycle. Light also has an indirect influence on the key processes in the body that control such functions as hormones secretion and blood circulation.
Slide49Research into Circadian rhythms
DeCoursey
(1998)
Behaviour of SCN-
lesioned
chipmunks in natural
habitat
The
sample consisted of 30 chipmunks with
suprachiasmatic
nucleus-targeted lesions, 24 surgical controls and 20 intact controls. After functionally removing the SCN in 30 chipmunks and returning them to their natural habitat it was observed that after 80 days significantly more of those chipmunks had died when compared to a control group with normal functioning SCNs. Mortality during the first 14 days was 37.5% for surgical controls and 50% for the SCN-
lesioned
animals, while none of the intact controls were killed.
Duffy
et al
.’s (2000)
research showed early rising individuals prefer 6am to 10pm, whereas late risers prefer 10am until 1pm.
Folkard
et al (1985)
studied a group of 12 people who agreed to live in the dark for three weeks retiring to bed when the clock said 11.45pm and rising when they clock said 7.45a.m Over the course of the study the researchers gradually speeded up the clock (unknown to the participants) so an apparent 24 hour day eventually lasted only 22 hours. It was revealed that one of the participants was able to comfortably adjust to the new regime
Practical applications:
Dawson & Campbell (1991)
found that workers exposed to a 4-hour pulse of bright light showed improvements in work performance. This shows that light acts as an exogenous
zeitgeber
in maintaining the rhythm of the SCN. Consequently, bright light has been used as a substitute for sunlight to reset the SCN.
Practical applications:
Consuming melatonin may help resynchronise the sleep-wake cycle more quickly.
Beaumont et al (2004)
found that taking melatonin at bed time for 3 days before travel and 5 days after significantly reduced the symptoms of jet lag
Slide50ULTRADIAN RHYTHMS
Slide51Research into
Ultradian rhythms
Dement and Kleitman (1957)Aim: The aim of this laboratory experiment was to investigate the relationship between eye movements and dreaming. Method: The nine participants were seven adult males and two adult females. The participants were studied under controlled laboratory conditions. Participants had to report to the laboratory at bedtime where they were connected to an EEG. The EEG took measurements throughout their time asleep all night. P's were asked not to drink caffeine.
Results:
The results show that REM sleep is predominantly, though not exclusively, associated with dreaming, and N-REM sleep is associated with periods of non-dreaming sleep. P's were able to recall dreams when awakened during REM periods. If they were awakened in other stages they were less likely to report dreaming. Rapid eye movements of p's during REM occurred according to dream type
Conclusions:
From these findings (which are robust as there has been much replication) It can be said that the stages of sleep follow a typical pattern throughout the night and
dreams
mostly occur in
REM
Kleitman
(1969)
referred to the 90
minuite
cycle found during sleep as the Basic Rest Activity Cycle or BRAC.
Kleitman
suggested this also continued throughout the day but rather than moving through sleep stages we move though states of
alterness into physiological fatigue, Research has found that the human mind can focus for a period of about 90 minutes until it then runs out of resources resulting in a lack of concentration, fatigue and hunger,
Kleitman argued that this can be evidenced through the familiar morning coffee break allowing workers to divide their morning into two 90 minute phases. This supports the role of internal
Ultraidan
rhythms during both sleeping and waking hours
Ericsson (2006)
studied a group of violinists and found that the groups practice sessions were normally limited to 90 minutes. Their practising day was divided up into 90 minute segments and the violinists frequently napped to recover from practice with the very best violinists napping the most. Ericsson discovered this same pattern among other musicians, athletes and writers. This supports the Basic Rest Activity Cycle previously proposed by
Klietman
Slide52INFRADIAN RHYTHMS
Overview
Definition: Frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours, such as menstruation and seasonal affective disorder. (Depression associated with seasonal changes, usually the onset of winter and decreased darkness).
Menstrual cycle (endogenous) occurs in females about every 28 days, endogenous control by the hormones
oestrogen
and progesterone.
The female menstrual cycle, an example of an
Infradian
rhythm, is governed by monthly changes in hormone levels, which require ovulation. The cycle refers to the time between the first day of a woman’s period when the womb lining is shed to the day before her next period. The typical cycle takes approximately 28 days to complete though anywhere between 24 days and 35 days is considered normal. During each cycle rising levels of the hormone oestrogen cause the ovary to develop an egg and release it (ovulation). After ovulation the hormones progesterone help the womb lining to grow quicker, readying the body for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, the egg is absorbed into the body; the womb lining comes away and leaves the body (menstrual flow)
Slide53Reinberg
(
1967) Conducted a study where one female participant spent three months in a cave with only light from a small lamp. As a result her days lengthened to 24.9 hours and her menstrual cycle shortened to 35.7 days. This shows that the levels of light in the cave could have affected the woman's menstrual cycle suggesting Infradian biological rhythms could be influenced by exogenous zeitgebers such as light
Research into
Infradian
rhythm
Although the menstrual cycle is an endogenous system, evidence suggests that it may be influenced by exogenous factors such as the cycle of other women.
McClintock and Stern (1998)
McClintock showed that female cycles entrained through exposure to
odour
donors’ pheromones (exogenous
zeitgebers
)
Aim:
to show that the menstrual cycle is influenced by
pheromonal
secretions from other women.
Sample: female university students, not taking birth control pills.
Design:
A Longitudinal experiment with independent measures.
Method:
A control group of women wore alcohol soaked pad in their armpits. The fumes from these were inhaled by another group of women (the experimental group) and their menstrual cycles monitored.
Result:
when the experimental group inhaled secretions from women who were about to ovulate, their menstrual cycles became shorter. When they inhaled secretions from women who had just ovulated, their menstrual cycles became longer. The experimental groups’ menstrual cycles were affected by the secretions from the control group. On 68% of occasions the recipients of the sweat donation had responded to the pheromones. This explains why when a group of women live in close proximity their menstrual cycles tend to synchronise and provides support for the role of exogenous
zeitgebers
(pheromones) in
infradian
rhythms
Slide54Slide55Slide56