Waking and dreaming consciousness: neurobiological and functional considerations.
J A Hobson, K J Friston
Progress in Neurobiology May 15, 2012 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2012.05.003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Brain Pons Geniculate bodies Occipital lobe Neurons Animals Humans Consciousness Dreams Wakefulness Synaptic transmission Models, biological |
| Key findings | Argues that combining protoconsciousness theory with the free energy minimization principle can explain fundamental features of sleep, including the suspension of homeothermy, the necessity of sleep, the lack of surprise in dreams, and the role of synaptic regression. Proposes that this framework yields a functional role for PGO waves and generates testable empirical predictions for electrophysiological modeling. |
Abstract
This paper presents a theoretical review of rapid eye movement sleep with a special focus on pontine-geniculate-occipital waves and what they might tell us about the functional anatomy of sleep and consciousness. In particular, we review established ideas about the nature and purpose of sleep in terms of protoconsciousness and free energy minimization. By combining these theoretical perspectives, we discover answers to some fundamental questions about sleep: for example, why is homeothermy suspended during sleep? Why is sleep necessary? Why are we not surprised by our dreams? What is the role of synaptic regression in sleep? The imperatives for sleep that emerge also allow us to speculate about the functional role of PGO waves and make some empirical predictions that can, in principle, be tested using recent advances in the modeling of electrophysiological data.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| Sleep and dreaming are for important matters | 2013 | Review | |
| Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis | 2020 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors | 1996 | Review |
Citations in the library
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- Predictive processing as a systematic basis for identifying the neural correlates of consciousness Philosophy and the Mind Sciences December 30, 2020
- Dreams and Psychedelics: Neurophenomenological Comparison and Therapeutic Implications Current Neuropharmacology June 19, 2017
- Sleep and dreaming are for important matters Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- The contemplative exercise through the lenses of predictive processing: A promising approach. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- An Integrated theory of false insights and beliefs under psychedelics. Communications Psychology August 1, 2024
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Cites 6
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- If waking and dreaming consciousness became de-differentiated, would schizophrenia result? Consciousness and Cognition April 16, 2011
- REM sleep and dreaming: towards a theory of protoconsciousness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience November 2009
- Sleep, learning, and dreams: off-line memory reprocessing. Science November 2, 2001
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