Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Sleepwalking
(SOMNAMBULISM)
- waking and sleeping occur at the same time. Most
episodes are short and last from a few seconds to
minutes.
- GENETIC EXPLANATION
- Research has shown a
concordance between
somnambulism and
genetic similarity
- continuity for
somnambulism -
high proportion of
adults sleepwalking
have history of it as
children
- BAKWIN - 19 MZ twins and 14 DZ
twins. Concordance of 47% for MZ and
7% for DZ. More siblings of MZ
somnambulists walked in their sleep
compared to what would be expected in
general pop.
- HUBLIN - 1045 MZ
and 1899 DZ twins.
Used questionnaires
and interviews to
assess frequency of
sleepwalking through
their lives. Greater
concordance amongst
MZ. Also found
continuity for
sleepwalking. 89% of
males and 85% of
females had history
as children
- Methodological Issues - twin studies.
Mz more similar. Not 100%
concordance
- NEURAL EXPLANATION
- Occurs as a result of
environmental factors
such as consumption of
drugs and alcohol, which
disrupt neural functioning
- The temporal lobes which house the amygdala and
hippocampus are involved in: auditory perception,
memory, speech, emotional response and visual
perception.
- temporal lobes more
active during sleep in
sleep walkers and that
GABA levels are reduced
in the sufferers brain.
- GABA is normally in low
levels in the motor
cortex when waking to
permit planning,
co-ordination and
execution of movement.
During sleep there is an
elevation of GABA to
inhibit activity in the
motor cortex so we can't
move around.
- Sleepwalkers have low levels
of GABA in the motor cortex
whilst sleeping. Sleepwalking
is more common among
children, who have an
under-developed GABA
system (OLIVIERO)
- ATAY & KAREAN - studied 22
somnambulists and found
abnormal temporal lobe activity
in 12 of them. In 11 of the 12,
somnambulism stopped after
taking anti-convulsive meds,
suggesting caused by abnormal
activity in temporal lobes.
- Methodological
issues - small
samples, not
representative of
whole population
of sleepwalkers.
hard to generalise
may not all be
caused by
abnormalities in
temporal lobes.
- REDUCTIONIST - other
environmental factors:
stress, alcohol, sleep
deprivation can often
induce sleep. Medical
conditions like fever, night
time asthma and panic
disorders are linked with
increased sleepwalking.