Episode 31: The Neuroscience of Dreams

26 snips

Jan 25, 2024

Explore the captivating world of dreams! Discover how dreams occur during both REM and non-REM sleep, influenced by brain waves like PGO waves. Delve into theories about whether dreams stem from memories or are creatively generated. Learn about the intriguing connection between REM eye movements and visual experiences. Uncover the surprising roles of dreams in emotional regulation and personal development, plus the allure—and risks—of lucid dreaming. Join a journey through the science and mystery of our nightly adventures!

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ANECDOTE

Host's Personal Dream Symbols

Barbara shares common dream-symbol interpretations she personally uses, like losing teeth meaning loss of power.
She uses a house as a recurring personal dream symbol for her mind.

INSIGHT

Dreams Aren't Only REM Phenomena

Dreams occur in both REM and non-REM sleep and link to local decreases in slow-wave activity.
Most dreaming happens in REM but the boundary between dream and sleep stages is blurry.

INSIGHT

Dreams Show Wake-Like Brain Activity

Dreaming shifts brain activity from slow delta/theta waves to faster, wake-like patterns and sleep spindles.
REM sleep shows neural activity resembling wakefulness while the brain remains behaviorally asleep.

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Dreams are both scientifically fascinating and universal. Everyone dreams, at every age and they are often nonsensical, complex, and deeply subjective. How can you quantify something so personal in the activity of cells, circuits, and systems?

Let's find out together!

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Citations and relevant papers are below!
Chip Brown. The Stubborn Scientist Who Unraveled A Mystery of the Night. Smithsonian. Published October 2003. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-stubborn-scientist-who-unraveled-a-mystery-of-the-night-91514538/

‌Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al. The Possible Functions of REM Sleep and Dreaming. Nih.gov. Published 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK11121/

Gott JA, Liley DTJ, Hobson JA. Towards a Functional Understanding of PGO Waves. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2017;11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00089

‌Senzai Y, Scanziani M. A cognitive process occurring during sleep is revealed by rapid eye movements. Science. 2022;377(6609):999-1004. doi:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abp8852

Crick F, Mitchison G. The function of dream sleep. Nature. 1983;304(5922):111-114. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/304111a0

‌Hobson JA, McCarley RW. The brain as a dream state generator: an activation-synthesis hypothesis of the dream process. The American journal of psychiatry. 1977;134(12):1335-1348. doi:https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.134.12.1335

Caviglia G. Working on dreams, from neuroscience to psychotherapy. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome. 2021;24(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2021.540

‌Hobson, J. A. (1990). Activation, input source, and modulation: A neurocognitive model of the state of the brain-mind. In R. R. Bootzin, J. F. Kihlstrom, & D. L. Schacter (Eds.), Sleep and cognition (pp. 25–40). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10499-002

Baird B, Mota-Rolim SA, Dresler M. The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 2019;100:305-323. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.008

Aspy DJ. Findings From the International Lucid Dream Induction Study. Frontiers in Psychology. 2020;11. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01746

‌Soffer-Dudek N. Are Lucid Dreams Good for Us? Are We Asking the Right Question? A Call for Caution in Lucid Dream Research. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2020;13. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01423

Gao JX, Gao Y, Li XX, et al. The Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital (PGO) Waves in Dreaming: An Overview. Brain Sciences. 2023;13(9):1350-1350. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13091350

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