Predicting Dream Recall: EEG Activation During NREM Sleep or Shared Mechanisms with Wakefulness?
Serena Scarpelli, Aurora D'Atri, Anastasia Mangiaruga, Cristina Marzano, Maurizio Gorgoni, Cinzia Schiappa, Michele Ferrara, Luigi De Gennaro
Brain Topography September 1, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-017-0563-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Activation model Delta activity EEG Correlates Nrem sleep Nap |
| Key findings | Dream recall from stage 2 NREM sleep is predicted by reduced delta activity in left frontal and temporo-parietal areas during the last segment of sleep. |
Abstract
The common knowledge of a uniqueness of REM sleep as a privileged scenario of dreaming still persists, although consolidated empirical evidence shows that the assumption that dreaming is just an epiphenomenon of REM sleep is no longer tenable. However, the brain mechanisms underlying dream generation and its encoding in memory during NREM sleep are still mostly unknown. In fact, only few studies have investigated on the mechanisms of dream phenomenology related to NREM sleep. For this reason, our study is specifically aimed to elucidate the electrophysiological (EEG) correlates of dream recall (DR) upon NREM sleep awakenings. Under the assumption that EEG activity predicts the presence/absence of DR also during NREM sleep, we have investigated whether DR from stage 2 NREM sleep shares similar brain mechanisms to those involved in the encoding of episodic memory during wakefulness, or it depends on the specific electrophysiological milieu of the sleep period along the desynchronized/synchronized EEG continuum. We collected DR from a multiple nap protocol in a within-subjects design. We found that DR is predicted by an extensive reduction of delta activity during the last segment of sleep, encompassing left frontal and temporo-parietal areas. The results could represent an update on the mechanisms underlying the sleep mentation during NREM sleep. In particular, they support the hypothesis that an increased cortical EEG activation is a prerequisite for DR, and they are not necessarily in conflict with the hypothesis of common wake-sleep mechanisms. We also confirmed that EEG correlates of DR depend on a state-like relationship.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming Verified by Volitional Communication during Rem Sleep Selected subjects proficient in lucid dreaming | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 5 |
| Incorporation of concern- and nonconcern-related verbal stimuli into dream content. Seven male subjects studied during sleep Stages 2 and REM | 1981 | Experimental study | n = 7 |
| Lucid Dreaming and Alpha Activity: A Preliminary Report Good dream recallers | 1982 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Lucid dreaming during NREM sleep: Two case reports | 2012 | Sleep laboratory study | |
| The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Human participants during sleep | 2020 | Experimental study with blinded classification | n = 9 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 45
- EEG microstates of dreams Scientific Reports October 13, 2020
- What about dreams? State of the art and open questions Journal of Sleep Research April 13, 2022
- Incorporation of recent waking-life experiences in dreams correlates with frontal theta activity in REM sleep Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience May 29, 2018
- Spotlight on dream recall: the ages of dreams Nature and Science of Sleep 2018
- The Dream Catcher experiment: blinded analyses failed to detect markers of dreaming consciousness in EEG spectral power. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2020
and 40 more in the library
Cites 23
- Amygdala and hippocampus volumetry and diffusivity in relation to dreaming Human Brain Mapping August 25, 2010
- Age changes in dream recall in adulthood. Dreaming March 1, 1996
- Beyond the neuropsychology of dreaming: Insights into the neural basis of dreaming with new techniques of sleep recording and analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews October 1, 2017
- Dopaminergic system and dream recall: An MRI study in Parkinson's disease patients. Human Brain Mapping March 1, 2016
- Bistability breaks-off deterministic responses to intracortical stimulation during non-REM sleep Neuroimage May 15, 2015
and 18 more in the library