Cognitive and emotional processes during dreaming: a neuroimaging view.
Martin Desseilles, Thien Thanh Dang‐Vu, Virginie Sterpenich, Sophie Schwartz
Consciousness and Cognition December 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2010.10.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key points | The authors propose that the heterogeneous regional brain activity pattern characteristic of REM sleep explains many typical dream features, and that specific dream characteristics reciprocally suggest activation of selective brain regions during sleep. They argue that integrating neuroimaging data on sleep, mental imagery, and dream content is critical for models of dreaming and supports an implication of sleep and dreaming in emotional regulation. |
Abstract
Dream is a state of consciousness characterized by internally-generated sensory, cognitive and emotional experiences occurring during sleep. Dream reports tend to be particularly abundant, with complex, emotional, and perceptually vivid experiences after awakenings from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is why our current knowledge of the cerebral correlates of dreaming, mainly derives from studies of REM sleep. Neuroimaging results show that REM sleep is characterized by a specific pattern of regional brain activity. We demonstrate that this heterogeneous distribution of brain activity during sleep explains many typical features in dreams. Reciprocally, specific dream characteristics suggest the activation of selective brain regions during sleep. Such an integration of neuroimaging data of human sleep, mental imagery, and the content of dreams is critical for current models of dreaming; it also provides neurobiological support for an implication of sleep and dreaming in some important functions such as emotional regulation.
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 60
- Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Dreams and Psychedelics: Neurophenomenological Comparison and Therapeutic Implications Current Neuropharmacology June 19, 2017
- Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming Frontiers in Psychology August 18, 2015
- Sleep and dreaming are for important matters Frontiers in Psychology 2013
- Nightmares in Patients with Psychosis: The Relation with Sleep, Psychotic, Affective, and Cognitive Symptoms The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 2015
and 55 more in the library
Cites 24
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Breakdown of Cortical Effective Connectivity During Sleep Science September 29, 2005
- Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Sleep September 1, 2009
- The threat simulation theory in light of recent empirical evidence: A review The American Journal of Psychology April 1, 2009
- Self-Reported Effects of Dreams on Waking-Life Creativity: An Empirical Study The Journal of Psychology 2007
and 19 more in the library