Local Neuronal Synchronization in Frequent Nightmare Recallers and Healthy Controls: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Louis-Philippe Marquis, Sarah-Hélène Julien, Véronique Daneault, Cloé Blanchette-Carrière, Tyna Paquette, Michelle Carr, Jean‐Paul Soucy, Jacques Montplaisir, Tore Nielsen
Frontiers in Neuroscience March 18, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.645255 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 36 |
| Population | Frequent nightmare recallers and matched controls aged 18-35 |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Unconsciousness Anterior cingulate cortex Resting State FMRI Audiology Prefrontal cortex Magnetic resonance imaging Cognition Radiology |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | Nightmares are associated with altered regional homogeneity in frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and subcortical regions, with a positive correlation between retrospective nightmare frequency and hippocampal regional homogeneity. |
Abstract
Nightmares are highly dysphoric dreams that are well-remembered upon awakening. Frequent nightmares have been associated with psychopathology and emotional dysregulation, yet their neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. Our neurocognitive model posits that nightmares reflect dysfunction in a limbic-prefrontal circuit comprising medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, hippocampus, and amygdala. However, there is a paucity of studies that used brain imaging to directly test the neural correlates of nightmares. One such study compared the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging blood-oxygen level-dependent signals between frequent nightmare recallers and controls. The main results were greater regional homogeneity in the left anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobule for the nightmare recallers than for the controls. In the present study, we aimed to document the ReHo correlates of frequent nightmares using several nightmare severity measures. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 18 frequent nightmare recallers aged 18-35 (3 males and 15 females) and 18 age- and sex-matched controls, as well as retrospective and prospective disturbed dreaming frequency estimates and scores on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire. While there were inconsistent results for our different analyses (group comparisons, correlational analyses for frequency estimates/Nightmare Distress scores), our results suggest that nightmares are associated with altered ReHo in frontal (medial prefrontal and inferior frontal), parietal, temporal and occipital regions, as well as some subcortical regions (thalamus). We also found a positive correlation between retrospective disturbed dreaming frequency estimates and ReHo values in the hippocampus. These findings are mostly in line with a recent SPECT study from our laboratory. Our results point to the possibility that a variety of regions, including but not limited to the limbic-prefrontal circuit of our neurocognitive model, contribute to nightmare formation.
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 3
Cites 30
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- Aetiology and treatment of nightmare disorder: State of the art and future perspectives Journal of Sleep Research January 29, 2019
- Prevalence of Nightmare Disorder in Psychiatric Outpatients Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013
- Nightmares affect the experience of sleep quality but not sleep architecture: an ambulatory polysomnographic study Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation February 12, 2015
and 25 more in the library