KB220Z™ a Pro-Dopamine Regulator Associated with the Protracted, Alleviation of Terrifying Lucid Dreams. Can We Infer Neuroplasticity-induced Changes in the Reward Circuit?
Thomas Mclaughlin, Marcelo Febo, Rajendra D Badgaiyan, Debmalya Barh, Kristina Dushaj, Eric R Braverman, Mona Li, Margaret A Madigan, Kenneth Blum
Journal of reward deficiency syndrome and addiction science 2016 DOI: 10.17756/jrdsas.2016-022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Double-blind Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4 |
| Population | Patients diagnosed with ADHD, PTSD, or opiate/opioid addiction |
| Intervention | KB220Z |
| Duration | 10 to 12 months after cessation of KB220Z |
| Topics | Neuroplasticity Lucid dreaming |
| Keywords | Connectivity volume Dopamine Kb220z Lucid dreams |
| Key findings | KB220Z led to complete and persistent alleviation of terrifying lucid dreams in four patients, with no recurrence for up to 12 months after cessation. |
Abstract
Recent reports by our laboratory have indicated that lucid dreams may be linked to psychiatric conditions, including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and other Reward Deficiency Syndrome-related diagnoses. In the latter case, it has been our observation that such lucid dreams can be unpleasant and frequently terrifying. We present four cases of a dramatic and persistent alleviation of terrifying, lucid dreams in patients diagnosed with ADHD/PTSD and/or opiate/opioid addiction. The amelioration of such dreams could well be permanent, since the patients had stopped taking the nutraceutical for between 10 to 12 months, without their recollection or recurrence. In the first case, the patient is a 47-year-old, married male who required continued Buprenorphine/ Naloxone (Suboxone) treatment. The second case involved a 32-year-old female with the sole diagnosis of ADHD. The third case involves a 38-year-old male who carried the diagnoses of Substance Use Dependence and ADHD. The fourth case involved a 50-year-old female with the diagnoses of Alcohol Abuse, ADHD and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In order to attempt to understand the possibility of neuroplasticity, we evaluated the effect of KB220Z in non-opioid-addicted rats utilizing functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging methodology. While we cannot make a definitive claim because rat brain functional connectivity may not be exactly the same as humans, it does provide some interesting clues. We did find following seeding of the dorsal hippocampus, enhanced connectivity volume across several Regions of Interest (ROI), with the exception of the pre- frontal cortex. Interestingly, the latter region is only infrequently activated in lucid human dreaming, when the dreamer reports that he/she had the thought that they were dreaming during the lucid dream. The four patients initially reported a gradual but, then, complete amelioration of their long-term, terrifying, lucid dreams, while taking KB220Z. The persistent amelioration of these dreams continued for up to 12 months, after a self-initiated, cessation of use of KB220Z. These particular cases raise the scientific possibility that KB200Z increases both dopamine stability as well as functional connectivity between networks of brain reward circuitry in both rodents and humans. The increase in connectivity volume in rodents suggest the induction of neuroplasticity changes, which may be analogous to those involved in human lucid dreaming as well as Rapid Eye Movement sleep. The possibility that the complex induces long-term, neuroplasticity changes must await more intensive investigations, involving large-population, double-blinded studies.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming as a Learnable Skill: A Case Study The author | 1980 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid Dreaming as a Treatment for Recurrent Nightmares People with recurrent nightmares | 2010 | Case study | n = 5 |
| Lucid dreaming: Correspondence between dreamed and actual events in one subject during rem sleep A lucid dreamer | 1984 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Lucid dreaming treatment for nightmares: A series of cases. Participants with nightmares | 2003 | Case series | n = 8 |
| Nightmares in the Context of PTSD Treated with Psychoeducation Regarding Lucid Dreaming 39-year-old male with a history of suicide attempts and psychiatric admissions | 2010 | Case study | n = 1 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? Frontiers in Psychology 2019
- Epigenetic Repair of Terrifying Lucid Dreams by Enhanced Brain Reward Functional Connectivity and Induction of Dopaminergic Homeostatic Signaling. Current Psychopharmacology February 15, 2021
- Structural and Functional Differences in Brain Mechanisms of Dream Recall Handbook of Sleep Research 2019
- Lucid Nightmares: A Survey of Their Frequency, Features, and Factors in Lucid Dreamers Dreaming September 1, 2018
Cites 5
- Time for actions in lucid dreams: effects of task modality, length, and complexity Frontiers in Psychology 2014
- Putative dopamine agonist (KB220Z) attenuates lucid nightmares in PTSD patients: role of enhanced brain reward functional connectivity and homeostasis redeeming joy. Journal of Behavioral Addictions June 1, 2015
- Using the Neuroadaptagen KB200z™ to Ameliorate Terrifying, Lucid Nightmares in RDS Patients: the Role of Enhanced, Brain-Reward, Functional Connectivity and Dopaminergic Homeostasis. J Reward Defic Syndr 2015
- Dreams, reality and memory: confabulations in lucid dreamers implicate reality-monitoring dysfunction in dream consciousness. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry 2014
- Lucid dreaming and ventromedial versus dorsolateral prefrontal task performance. Consciousness and Cognition June 1, 2011