Alpha reactivity to first names differs in subjects with high and low dream recall frequency.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2013 Perrine Ruby, Camille Blochet, Jean-Baptiste Eichenlaub et al.
People who often remember their dreams (high-recallers, averaging 4.42 dream recalls per week) show a more sustained decrease in alpha brainwave activity (8–12 Hz) in response to hearing their own first name during wakefulness compared to low-recallers (0.25 recalls per week). This alpha decrease, measured at the Pz electrode site 1000–1200 milliseconds after the sound, suggests deeper processing of complex sounds in high-recallers, possibly reflecting a longer release of inhibition in brain regions not needed for the task. No group difference in alpha reactivity was found during REM sleep. High-recallers also experienced more time awake during the night (30 vs. 14 minutes), supporting the idea that trait differences in brain physiology underlie dream recall frequency.