Acute Effects and the Dreamy State Evoked by Deep Brain Electrical Stimulation of the Amygdala: Associations of the Amygdala in Human Dreaming, Consciousness, Emotions, and Creativity.
George Lai, Jean-Philippe Langevin, Ralph J. Koek, Scott E Krahl, Ausaf A Bari, James W Y Chen
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience February 25, 2020 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00061 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Two subjects with medically refractory post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) |
| Dose | 2-5 V |
| Topics | Dreaming PTSD |
| Keywords | Amygdala Dbs Emotion Creativity Double consciousness Dreamy state |
| Key findings | Acute deep brain stimulation of the amygdala and hippocampus in two PTSD patients evoked vivid, complex, dreamlike mental imagery similar to Jackson's 'dreamy state' and 'double consciousness,' suggesting the amygdala is a node in a neural network for dreaming and creative imagery. Higher voltage (4-5 V) predominantly produced negative responses, while 2-4 V showed inversely coupled positive and negative responses between hemispheres, possibly indicating hemispheric dominance of emotional valence unrelated to handedness. |
Abstract
Accurate localization of complex human experiences such as emotions, dreaming, creativity, and consciousness to specific cerebral structures or neural networks has remained elusive despite technological advances. We report the use of acute deep brain stimulation (DBS) to evoke behavioral and emotional effects by applying electrical stimulation (ES) at various voltage strengths to the basolateral and central subnuclei of the amygdala in addition to the head of hippocampus (HC) for two subjects with medically refractory post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our results suggest that the amygdala could be a node in a neural network responsible for the generation of complex vivid mental imagery and integrated sensory experiences similar to John Hughlings Jackson's "dreamy state" and "double consciousness," which have been classically associated with temporal lobe epilepsy during uncinate seizures. That we were able to elicit similar vivid, dynamic, complex, bizarre, and original mental imagery with ES in non-epileptic subjects suggests that Jackson's seizure related "dreamy state" and "double consciousness" may arise from heightened innate brain mechanisms with the amygdala acting as a node in the neural network responsible for physiologic dreaming and creative functions. Furthermore, our subjects experienced different emotions with different stimulation strengths at various electrode contacts. Our results suggest that higher voltage stimulation of the amygdala and HC at 4-5 V leads to predominantly negative responses and 2-4 V stimulation showed inversely coupled positive and negative responses of the amygdala in either hemisphere which may imply hemispheric dominance of emotional valences without relation to handedness. Due to the unique and complex responses dependent on location and strength of stimulation, we advise that all patients receiving DBS of the amygdala undergo acute stimulation mapping in a monitored setting before selecting therapeutic parameters for chronic stimulation.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on 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 |
| Treating Chronic Nightmares of Sexual Assault Survivors with an Intellectual Disability – Two Descriptive Case Studies Adults with learning disabilities suffering from post-traumatic nightmares | 2006 | Case study | n = 2 |
| 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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Amygdala and hippocampus volumetry and diffusivity in relation to dreaming Human Brain Mapping August 25, 2010
- Dream Recall in Patients With Focal Cerebral Lesions Archives of Neurology February 1, 1984
- Dopaminergic system and dream recall: An MRI study in Parkinson's disease patients. Human Brain Mapping March 1, 2016
- Dreaming and the brain: from phenomenology to neurophysiology. Trends in Cognitive Sciences January 14, 2010
- The cognitive neuroscience of sleep: neuronal systems, consciousness and learning. Nature Reviews Neuroscience September 2002