Investigation on Neurobiological Mechanisms of Dreaming in the New Decade
Brain Sciences February 11, 2021 Serena Scarpelli, Valentina Alfonsi, Maurizio Gorgoni et al. 27 citations
Dream research has advanced significantly over the last twenty years through neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques. Mental activity during sleep and wakefulness shares similar neural bases. Dream experience is promoted by brain activation with reduced low frequencies and increased rapid frequencies. The posterior parietal area and prefrontal cortex are responsible for dream experience. Dreaming can be manipulated by sensory stimulations that incorporate specific cues into dream scenarios. Transcranial stimulation techniques have modulated consciousness during sleep, adding information about neural correlates of dream recall. The continuity and activation hypotheses provide growing understanding of neural processes underlying dreaming, but issues remain regarding state-/trait-like variables, circadian and homeostatic factors, and parasomnia-like events.