Dream report following commissurotomy.
P Greenwood, D H Wilson, M S Gazzaniga
Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior September 1, 1977 DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(77)80041-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Subjects with partial or complete section of the corpus callosum and anterior commissure |
| Duration | All night sleep EEG recordings |
| Key findings | Subjects with split-brain surgery could recount visual dream content, failing to support selective right hemisphere visual dream mediation. |
Abstract
This paper addresses the question of right hemisphere involvement in the visual components of dreaming. The rationale derives from an observed relation between reports of visual agnosia accompanied by dream cessation and the literature on right hemisphere specialization for visuo-spatial processes. All night sleep EEGs were recorded from subjects with partial or complete section of the corpus callosum and anterior commissure. Upon entering a EEG-, EOG- and EMG-defined REM episode, the subjects were awakened and questioned about dream content. All subjects examined in this fashion were able to recount some visual dream content. This result fails to support any notion of selective right hemisphere visual dream mediation.