Dream experience during REM and NREM sleep of patients with complex partial seizures.
Brain Research Bulletin June 30, 2004 Carlo Cipolli, Enrica Bonanni, Michelangelo Maestri et al.
Patients with complex partial seizures recall dreams less often after stage 2 NREM sleep than after REM sleep, regardless of which hemisphere the seizure focus is in. The length and structural organization of dreams do not differ significantly between REM and NREM sleep. However, during REM sleep, the length of story-like dreams is influenced by global cognitive functioning. These results suggest that the elaboration of dream experience is maintained in both sleep stages, but access to information for conversion into dream content and the consolidation of that content is less effective during NREM sleep. Further research may determine whether impaired memory functioning during NREM sleep is a side effect of anticonvulsant treatment.