Brain reactivity differentiates subjects with high and low dream recall frequencies during both sleep and wakefulness.
Jean-Baptiste Eichenlaub, Olivier Bertrand, Dominique Morlet, Perrine Ruby
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) May 1, 2014 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhs388 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPeople who frequently recall their dreams show different brain reactivity compared to those who rarely recall dreams, both while awake and asleep. In a study of 18 high-recall and 18 low-recall participants, brain responses to hearing first names (ignored during a silent movie or sleep) were measured. During wakefulness, high-recall individuals had larger attention-orienting brain responses (P3a) and a late parietal response. During sleep, differences appeared at the P3a latency during N2 sleep and at later latencies across all sleep stages. These findings indicate that dream recall ability is linked to a particular functional organization of the brain that persists regardless of whether the person is awake or asleep.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Subjects with high and low dream recall frequency |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Nrem Rem sleep Auditory p3a Automatic attention orienting |
| Key finding | Brain reactivity to sounds differs between high and low dream recall frequency groups during both wakefulness and sleep, suggesting a trait-like difference in cerebral functional organization. |
Abstract
The neurophysiological correlates of dreaming remain unclear. According to the "arousal-retrieval" model, dream encoding depends on intrasleep wakefulness. Consistent with this model, subjects with high and low dream recall frequency (DRF) report differences in intrasleep awakenings. This suggests a possible neurophysiological trait difference between the 2 groups. To test this hypothesis, we compared the brain reactivity (evoked potentials) of subjects with high (HR, N = 18) and low (LR, N = 18) DRF during wakefulness and sleep. During data acquisition, the subjects were presented with sounds to be ignored (first names randomly presented among pure tones) while they were watching a silent movie or sleeping. Brain responses to first names dramatically differed between the 2 groups during both sleep and wakefulness. During wakefulness, the attention-orienting brain response (P3a) and a late parietal response were larger in HR than in LR. During sleep, we also observed between-group differences at the latency of the P3a during N2 and at later latencies during all sleep stages. Our results demonstrate differences in the brain reactivity of HR and LR during both sleep and wakefulness. These results suggest that the ability to recall dreaming is associated with a particular cerebral functional organization, regardless of the state of vigilance.