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Encyclopedia > Reticular activating system

The reticular activating system is the name given to part of the brain (the Reticular Formation and its connections) believed to be the centre of arousal and motivation in animals (including humans). It is situated between the brain stem and the central nervous system (CNS). In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ... Reticular formation is a part of the brain which is involved in stereotypical actions, such as walking, sleeping, and lying down. ... The brain stem is the stalk of the brain below the cerebral hemispheres. ... The vertebrate central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. ...


It is involved with the sleep/wake cycle; damage can lead to permanent coma. It is thought to be the area affected by many psychotropic drugs. General anaesthetics work through their effect on the Reticular Formation. In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness, which may result from a variety of conditions including intoxication (drug, alcohol or toxins), metabolic abnormalities (hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, etc. ... A psychoactive drug or psychotropic substance is a chemical that alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness, or behaviour. ...


Fibers from the Reticular Formation are also vital in controlling respiratory and cardiac rhythms and other essential functions.


The Reticular Activating System has received attention from neuroscientists interested in various pathological conditions affecting behaviour, such as Alzheimer's Disease. More recently, results of research on the area has prompted extrapolations from the data into various areas such as motivational programmes and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD). However, despite the rapid recent increase in knowledge of the structure and function of the brain, assumptions about brain function related to real world events made without specific evidence should be treated with immense caution. DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
ADD ADHD Information Library: Neurology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2001 words)
The Reticular Activating System is the attention center in the brain.
As a result, the Reticular Activating System is a very complex collection of neurons that serve as a point of convergence for signals from the external world and from interior environment.
This Reticular Activating System is very capable of generating dynamic effects on the activity of the cortex, including the frontal lobes, and the motor activity centers of the brain.
Reference.com/Encyclopedia/Reticular formation (697 words)
The ascending reticular activating system connects to areas in the thalamus, hypothalamus, and cortex, while the descending reticular activating system connects to the cerebellum and sensory nerves.
Lesions in the reticular formation have been found in the brains of people who have post-polio syndrome, and some imaging studies have shown abnormal activity in the area in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, indicating a high likelihood that damage to the reticular formation is responsible for the fatigue experienced with these syndromes.
The original functional differentiation was a division of caudal and rostral, this was based upon the observation that the lesioning of the rostral reticular formation induced a hypersomnia in the cat brain.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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