Cortical hyperarousal in NREM sleep normalizes from pre- to post- REM periods in individuals with frequent nightmares.
Borbála Blaskovich, Richárd Reichardt, Ferenc Gombos, Victor I. Spoormaker, Péter Simor
Sleep January 13, 2020 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsz201 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | Participants with frequent nightmares and healthy controls |
| Duration | Two consecutive nights in the sleep laboratory |
| Topics | Dreaming PTSD |
| Keywords | EEG Pathophysiology Sleep |
| Key findings | Nightmare participants had increased high-frequency spectral power during NREM and pre-REM periods and reduced slow-wave sleep, indicating an imbalance between sleep regulatory and wake-promoting systems. |
Abstract
Frequent nightmares have a high prevalence and constitute a risk factor for psychiatric conditions, but their pathophysiology is poorly understood. Our aim was to examine sleep architecture and electroencephalographic markers-with a specific focus on state transitions-related to sleep regulation and hyperarousal in participants with frequent nightmares (NM participants) versus healthy controls. Healthy controls and NM participants spent two consecutive nights in the sleep laboratory. Second night spectral power during NREM to REM sleep (pre-REM) and REM to NREM (post-REM) transitions as well as during NREM and REM periods were evaluated for 22 NM participants compared to 22 healthy controls with a similar distribution of age, gender, and dream recall frequency. We found significant differences between the groups in the pre-REM to post-REM changes in low- and high-frequency domains. NM participants experienced a lower amount of slow-wave sleep and showed increased beta and gamma power during NREM and pre-REM periods. No difference was present during REM and post-REM phases. Furthermore, while increased pre-REM high-frequency power seems to be mainly driven by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom intensity, decreased low-frequency activity occurred regardless of PTSD symptom severity. Our findings indicate that NM participants had increased high-frequency spectral power during NREM and pre-REM periods, as well as relatively reduced slow frequency and increased fast frequency spectral power across pre-and post-REM periods. This combination of reduced sleep-protective activity and increased hyperarousal suggests an imbalance between sleep regulatory and wake-promoting systems in NM participants.
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 16
- The integrative process promoted by EMDR in dissociative disorders: neurobiological mechanisms, psychometric tools, and intervention efficacy on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic Frontiers in Psychology September 1, 2023
- Predictive coding, multisensory integration, and attentional control: A multicomponent framework for lucid dreaming. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 1, 2022
- Nightmares share genetic risk factors with sleep and psychiatric traits Translational Psychiatry February 27, 2024
- Altered parasympathetic activity during sleep and emotionally arousing wakefulness in frequent nightmare recallers European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience March 2, 2023
- Local Neuronal Synchronization in Frequent Nightmare Recallers and Healthy Controls: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Frontiers in Neuroscience March 18, 2021
and 11 more in the library
Cites 22
- Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming American Journal of Psychiatry March 1, 1987
- The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Journal of Sleep Research May 26, 2004
- Prevalence and Correlates of Frequent Nightmares: A Community-Based 2-Phase Study Sleep June 1, 2010
- 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 17 more in the library