What are some established neurophysiological marker of dream activity during sleep?

Introduction

The study of dream activity during sleep has been a topic of significant interest in neurophysiology. Researchers have sought to identify specific neurophysiological markers that can reliably indicate when dreaming occurs. These markers are crucial for understanding the underlying mechanisms of sleep and dream states and can have implications for various psychological and neurological conditions.

Key Insights

REM Sleep and Dreaming Correlation:
- Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is strongly associated with dreaming. Periods of REM sleep, characterized by rapid, conjugate eye movements, have a high incidence of dream recall when subjects are awakened during these periods. This relationship has been confirmed in both normal subjects and those with schizophrenia.
Brain Reactivity and Dream Recall:
- Individuals with high dream recall frequency (HR) show different brain reactivity compared to those with low dream recall frequency (LR). During both sleep and wakefulness, HR individuals exhibit larger attention-orienting brain responses (P3a) and other late parietal responses, suggesting a distinct cerebral functional organization associated with the ability to recall dreams.
Muscle Activity During REM Sleep:
- Elevated muscle activity during REM sleep, particularly in the submentalis muscle, is a polysomnographic marker of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). This increased muscle activity is observed in patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy and is indicative of REM sleep-related motor dyscontrol, which can lead to enacting dream behaviors.
Regional Cerebral Blood Flow:
- During REM sleep, there is increased regional cerebral blood flow in specific brain areas, including the pontine tegmentum, left thalamus, amygdaloid complexes, anterior cingulate cortex, and right parietal operculum. Conversely, decreased blood flow is observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus. These patterns of activation and deactivation provide a biological basis for the processing of emotionally influenced memories during REM sleep.

Conclusion

The primary neurophysiological markers of dream activity during sleep include the presence of REM sleep characterized by rapid eye movements, distinct brain reactivity patterns in individuals with high dream recall frequency, elevated muscle activity during REM sleep in conditions like RBD, and specific patterns of regional cerebral blood flow during REM sleep. These markers collectively enhance our understanding of the neurophysiological underpinnings of dreaming and its association with various brain functions and disorders.

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What are some established neurophysiological marker of dream activity during sleep?

Summary

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

New Hypothesis and Theory about Functions of Sleep and Dreams

The ratio between REM and NREM time in the first period of sleep (IEP-P1) is a reliable indicator of sleep disturbances in psychotic states and organic brain syndromes, offering new insights into the functions of sleep and dreams.

Brain reactivity differentiates subjects with high and low dream recall frequencies during both sleep and wakefulness.

Subjects with high dream recall frequencies show differences in brain reactivity to first names during both sleep and wakefulness, suggesting a specific cerebral functional organization associated with dream recall.

Searching for a marker of REM sleep behavior disorder: submentalis muscle EMG amplitude analysis during sleep in patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy.

Elevated muscle activity during REM sleep is the only polysomnographic marker of REM sleep behavior disorder, which is present in many patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy.

Functional neuroanatomy of human rapid-eye-movement sleep and dreaming

REM sleep in humans is associated with increased activity in the amygdala and cortical areas, potentially facilitating the processing of certain types of memories during this sleep state.

The relation of eye movements during sleep to dream activity: an objective method for the study of dreaming.

Rapid eye movements during sleep are associated with increased dream recall in both normal and schizophrenic individuals, and can be used as an objective method for studying dream activity during sleep.

Dreamed Movement Elicits Activation in the Sensorimotor Cortex

Neuroimaging can visualize specific contents of REM-associated dreaming, such as hand movements, during lucid REM sleep.

Neurophysiological support of consciousness during waking and sleep

Neurophysiological differences between waking and sleep explain the differences in mental functioning, with activating influences in waking promoting reflective activity and inhibitory influences regulating cortical functioning.

EEG oscillations during sleep and dream recall: state- or trait-like individual differences?

Theta EEG oscillations in pre-awakening sleep predict dream recall, suggesting a link between sleep and memory, but the exact state-like or trait-like nature of this relationship remains unclear.

REM sleep Behaviour Disorder.

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) may be an early manifestation of a complex neurodegenerative process, challenging the concept of an idiopathic form.

Temporally Structured Replay of Awake Hippocampal Ensemble Activity during Rapid Eye Movement Sleep

Long temporal sequences of patterned multineuronal activity in the hippocampus are reactivated during REM sleep, potentially impacting memory processing and providing a basis for studying dream states.

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