Of dreaming and wakefulness.
R R Llinás, D Paré
Neuroscience 1991 DOI: 10.1016/0306-4522(91)90075-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key points | Argues that wakefulness and paradoxical sleep are fundamentally equivalent brain states, probably subserved by an intrinsic thalamo-cortical loop, differing mainly in the weight given to sensory afferents in cognitive images. Contends that consciousness is a closed-loop property rooted in cells' intrinsic activity rather than an exclusive by-product of sensory input, and that most thalamocortical connectivity generates internal functional modes rather than transferring direct sensory input. |
Abstract
Following a set of studies concerning the intrinsic electrophysiology of mammalian central neurons in relation to global brain function, we reach the following conclusions: (i) the main difference between wakefulness and paradoxical sleep lies in the weight given to sensory afferents in cognitive images; (ii) otherwise, wakefulness and paradoxical sleep are fundamentally equivalent brain states probably subserved by an intrinsic thalamo-cortical loop. From this assumption, we conclude that wakefulness is an intrinsic functional realm, modulated by sensory parameters. In support of this hypothesis, we review morphological studies of the thalamocortical system, which indicate that only a minor part of its connectivity is devoted to the transfer of direct sensory input. Rather, most of the connectivity is geared to the generation of internal functional modes, which may, in principle, operate in the presence or absence of sensory activation. These considerations lead us to challenge the traditional Jamesian view of brain function according to which consciousness is generated as an exclusive by-product of sensory input. Instead, we argue that consciousness is fundamentally a closed-loop property, in which the ability of cells to be intrinsically active plays a central role. We further discuss the importance of spatial and temporal mapping in the elaboration of cognitive and perceptual constructs.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dreaming: a conceptual framework for philosophy of mind and empirical research | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming | 2015 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Varieties of Lucid Dreaming Experience | 2000 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Experimental Research on Dreaming: State of the Art and Neuropsychoanalytic Perspectives | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 86
- Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis Consciousness and Cognition May 19, 2003
- Psychobiology of Altered States of Consciousness. Psychological Bulletin 2005
- Increased thalamic resting‐state connectivity as a core driver of LSD‐induced hallucinations Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica September 21, 2017
- Consciousness, dreams and virtual realities Philosophical Psychology 1995
- The Phenomenal Contents and Neural Correlates of Spontaneous Thoughts across Wakefulness, NREM Sleep, and REM Sleep Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience May 31, 2017
and 81 more in the library