Exploring the role of dreams: insights from recent studies.
Serena Scarpelli, Valentina Alfonsi, Luigi De Gennaro
Current opinion in pulmonary medicine November 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1097/mcp.0000000000001112 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDreaming has recently become a topic of scientific research. This review updates current findings on dream studies, emphasizing recent research on the neural mechanisms of dreaming. It summarizes new evidence on the functional role of dreams, including insights from studies on dreams and nightmares during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent advances on the neural basis of mental activity during sleep have shifted towards dream-related phenomena, such as dream experiences in relation to parasomnias and hypnagogic hallucinations. Some findings are consistent with the main models explaining dream recall (continuity hypothesis; activation hypothesis), while some results contrast with the role of the parieto-occipital region in dream experience.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Dreams serve multiple functions, from reflecting waking-life experiences to simulating adaptive responses to threats, and recent findings during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest dream experiences express emotion regulation processes and provide a simulation of reality to prepare for future dangerous or social interactions. |
Abstract
Dreaming has only recently become a topic of scientific research. This review updates current findings on dream studies, emphasizing recent research on the neural mechanisms of dreaming. Additionally, it summarizes new evidence on the functional role of dreams, including insights from studies on dreams and nightmares during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Recent advances on the neural basis of mental activity during sleep have shifted towards dream-related phenomena, such as dream experiences in relation to parasomnias and hypnagogic hallucinations. Although some findings are consistent with the main models explaining dream recall (i.e., continuity hypothesis; activation hypothesis), some results contrast with the role of parieto-occipital region in dream experience. Moreover, recent findings - related to COVID-19 pandemic - underlined that dream experiences could express emotion regulation processes as well as provide a simulation of reality to prepare for future dangerous or social interactions. Overall, we highlighted the intricate interplay between brain regions in dreaming and suggest that dreams serve multiple functions, from reflecting waking-life experiences to simulating adaptive responses to threats. Understanding the neural bases and functions of dreaming can provide valuable insights into human mental health, nevertheless, further research is needed.