The seahorse, the almond, and the night-mare: elaborative encoding during sleep-paralysis hallucinations?
Behavioral and Brain Sciences December 2013 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x13001325 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that Llewellyn's account of REM dreaming as hippocampal elaborative encoding may illuminate the hallucinations of sleep paralysis, which the authors attribute to anomalous intrusion of REM processes, including amygdala-mediated threat detection, into waking consciousness. Argues that the unique aspects of these hallucinations provide further avenues for testing the elaborative encoding theory. |
Abstract
Llewellyn's proposal that rapid eye movement (REM) dreaming reflects elaborative encoding mediated by the hippocampus ("seahorse") offers an interesting perspective for understanding hallucinations accompanying sleep paralysis (SP; "night-mare"). SP arises from anomalous intrusion of REM processes into waking consciousness, including threat-detection systems mediated by the amygdala ("almond"). Unique aspects of SP hallucinations offer additional prospects for investigation of Llewellyn's theory of elaborative encoding.
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- The body unbound: Vestibular–motor hallucinations and out-of-body experiences Cortex June 6, 2008
- Sleep paralysis in narcolepsy: more than just a motor dissociative phenomenon? Neurological Sciences February 2012
- Isolated sleep paralysis and fearful isolated sleep paralysis in outpatients with panic attacksb Journal of Clinical Psychology December 1, 2010
- Prevalence and correlates of sleep paralysis in adults reporting childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Anxiety Disorders March 13, 2008
- Mental representation of space: insights from an oblique distribution of hallucinations. Neuropsychologia March 25, 2007
and 6 more in the library