Brain structural basis of individual variability in dream recall frequency.
Shuqin Zhou, Jing Xu, Zihui Su, Yuezhen Li, Yan Shao, Hongqiang Sun, Huaiqiu Zhu, Qihong Zou, Jia-Hong Gao
Brain Imaging and Behavior October 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-018-9964-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Duration | 2-week sleep diary |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Cortical volume Dream recall frequency Magnetic resonance imaging White matter tractography |
| Key findings | Cortical volume of the medial right fusiform gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus, and fractional anisotropy of connected white matter fibers, were significantly negatively correlated with dream recall frequency. |
Abstract
Recent neuroimaging studies have indicated that inter-individual variability in dream recall frequency (DRF) is associated with both resting-state regional cerebral blood flow and task-induced brain activations. However, the brain structure underpinning this inter-individual variability in DRF remains unclear. The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between brain structural characteristics and DRF. We collected both T1-weighted and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging data from 43 healthy volunteers. DRF was obtained from a two-week sleep diary with a subjective report of dream recall upon waking every morning. General linear model analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between brain structural characteristics (cortical volume and white matter integrity) and DRF. Not only the cortical volume of the medial portion of the right fusiform gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus but also the fractional anisotropy of white matter fibers connected to these regions were significantly negatively correlated with DRF, and these relationships were not modulated by a regular sleep. These findings provide direct evidence that brain structural characteristics are associated with inter-individual variability in DRF and may help us to better understand the structural mechanisms in the brain underlying dream recall.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
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- Dissociated resting-state functional networks between the dream recall frequency and REM sleep percentage. Neuroimage July 1, 2018
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- Predicting Dream Recall: EEG Activation During NREM Sleep or Shared Mechanisms with Wakefulness? Brain Topography September 1, 2017
and 12 more in the library