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Oldoni AA, Bacchi AD, Mendes FR, Tiba PA, Mota-Rolim S. Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:426. [PMID: 38790404 PMCID: PMC11119155 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14050426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2024] [Revised: 04/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control the oneiric content. In the general population, LD is spontaneously rare; thus, there is great interest in its induction. Here, we aim to review the literature on neuropsychopharmacological induction of LD. First, we describe the circadian and homeostatic processes of sleep regulation and the mechanisms that control REM sleep with a focus on neurotransmission systems. We then discuss the neurophysiology and phenomenology of LD to understand the main cortical oscillations and brain areas involved in the emergence of lucidity during REM sleep. Finally, we review possible exogenous substances-including natural plants and artificial drugs-that increase metacognition, REM sleep, and/or dream recall, thus with the potential to induce LD. We found that the main candidates are substances that increase cholinergic and/or dopaminergic transmission, such as galantamine. However, the main limitation of this technique is the complexity of these neurotransmitter systems, which challenges interpreting results in a simple way. We conclude that, despite these promising substances, more research is necessary to find a reliable way to pharmacologically induce LD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abel A. Oldoni
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil; (A.A.O.); (P.A.T.)
| | - André D. Bacchi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Federal University of Rondonópolis, Rondonópolis 78736-900, Brazil;
| | - Fúlvio R. Mendes
- Center for Natural and Human Sciences, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil;
| | - Paula A. Tiba
- Center for Mathematics, Computing and Cognition, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09606-045, Brazil; (A.A.O.); (P.A.T.)
| | - Sérgio Mota-Rolim
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59078-970, Brazil
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2
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Foffani G. To be or not to be hallucinating: Implications of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming for brain disorders. PNAS NEXUS 2024; 3:pgad442. [PMID: 38178978 PMCID: PMC10766414 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
The boundaries between waking and sleeping-when falling asleep (hypnagogic) or waking up (hypnopompic)-can be challenging for our ability to monitor and interpret reality. Without proper understanding, bizarre but relatively normal hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences can be misinterpreted as psychotic hallucinations (occurring, by definition, in the fully awake state), potentially leading to stigma and misdiagnosis in clinical contexts and to misconception and bias in research contexts. This Perspective proposes that conceptual and practical understanding for differentiating hallucinations from hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences may be offered by lucid dreaming, the state in which one is aware of dreaming while sleeping. I first introduce a possible systematization of the phenomenological range of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences that can occur in the transition from awake to REM dreaming (including hypnagogic perceptions, transition symptoms, sleep paralysis, false awakenings, and out-of-body experiences). I then outline how metacognitive strategies used by lucid dreamers to gain/confirm oneiric lucidity could be tested for better differentiating hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences from hallucinations. The relevance of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming is analyzed for schizophrenia and narcolepsy, and discussed for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Lewy-body disorders (i.e. Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's disease dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies), offering testable hypotheses for empirical investigation. Finally, emotionally positive lucid dreams triggered or enhanced by training/induction strategies or by a pathological process may have intrinsic therapeutic value if properly recognized and guided. The overall intention is to raise awareness and foster further research about the possible diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications of hypnagogic/hypnopompic experiences and lucid dreaming for brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guglielmo Foffani
- HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid 28938, Spain
- Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, Toledo 45004, Spain
- CIBERNED, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid 28031, Spain
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3
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Gott JA, Stücker S, Kanske P, Haaker J, Dresler M. Acetylcholine and metacognition during sleep. Conscious Cogn 2024; 117:103608. [PMID: 38042119 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator involved in a variety of cognitive functions. Additionally, acetylcholine is involved in the regulation of REM sleep: cholinergic neurons in the brainstem and basal forebrain project to and innervate wide areas of the cerebral cortex, and reciprocally interact with other neuromodulatory systems, to produce the sleep-wake cycle and different sleep stages. Consciousness and cognition vary considerably across and within sleep stages, with metacognitive capacity being strikingly reduced even during aesthetically and emotionally rich dream experiences. A notable exception is the phenomenon of lucid dreaming-a rare state whereby waking levels of metacognitive awareness are restored during sleep-resulting in individuals becoming aware of the fact that they are dreaming. The role of neurotransmitters in these fluctuations of consciousness and cognition during sleep is still poorly understood. While recent studies using acetylcholinesterase inhibitors suggest a potential role of acetylcholine in the occurrence of lucid dreaming, the underlying mechanisms by which this effect is produced remains un-modelled and unknown; with the causal link between cholinergic mechanisms and upstream psychological states being complex and elusive. Several theories and approaches targeting the association between acetylcholine and metacognition during wakefulness and sleep are highlighted in this review, moving through microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic levels of analysis to detail this phenomenon at several organisational scales. Several exploratory hypotheses will be developed to guide future research towards fully articulating how metacognition is affected by activity at the acetylcholine receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod A Gott
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Sina Stücker
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jan Haaker
- Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Martin Dresler
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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4
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Mishra Y, Mallick BN. Rapid eye movements associated with REM sleep is involved in consolidation of visuospatial learning in rats. Physiol Behav 2023; 271:114352. [PMID: 37714322 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2023.114352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep plays a significant role in visuospatial learning and memory consolidation; however, its mechanism of action is unknown. Rapid eye movements (REMs), a characteristic active feature of REM sleep, is a potential correlate of neural processing for visual memory consolidation. The superior colliculus (SC) plays a central role in oculomotor control and spatial localization of objects in the visual field. We proposed that local reversible inactivation of the SC during post-learning sessions might interfere with REMs and negatively impact REM sleep associated consolidation of the visuospatial learnt task. Under gaseous anesthesia, bilateral cannulae aiming SC and electrodes for recording electrophysiological signals to classify sleep-waking were implanted. Following standard protocol, all rats were subjected to Morris water maze (MWM) training for 5 consecutive days followed by probe trial. After MWM training, on all except the probe test days, the rat SC were bilaterally infused with either vehicle (control, Group 1), Lidocaine hydrochloride a local anesthetic (Lox 2%, Group 2), or muscimol (Mus, GABA agonist, Group 3) and sleep-wakefulness recorded after day 1, 4, and post-probe learning sessions. Post-learning, compared to vehicle, Mus treated group significantly decreased REMs, phasic REM sleep, percent time spent in REM sleep and REM sleep frequency/hr. Also, during probe test, the escape latency was significantly increased, and the percentage time spent in the platform quadrant were significantly decreased in both, Mus and Lox 2% treated rats, while the number of platform location crossings was decreased in Mus treated group. The results showed that Lox 2% and Mus into SC reduced consolidation of visuospatial learning. The findings support our contention that SC mediated activation of REMs exerts a positive influence in processing and consolidation of visual learning during REM sleep. The findings explain the role of REMs during REM sleep in visual memory consolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yashaswee Mishra
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Birendra Nath Mallick
- School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India; Amity Institute of Neuropsychology and Neurosciences, Amity University Campus, Gautam Budh Nagar Sector 125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201313, India.
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5
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Northoff G, Scalabrini A, Fogel S. Topographic-dynamic reorganisation model of dreams (TRoD) - A spatiotemporal approach. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 148:105117. [PMID: 36870584 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Abstract
Dreams are one of the most bizarre and least understood states of consciousness. Bridging the gap between brain and phenomenology of (un)conscious experience, we propose the Topographic-dynamic Re-organization model of Dreams (TRoD). Topographically, dreams are characterized by a shift towards increased activity and connectivity in the default-mode network (DMN) while they are reduced in the central executive network, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (except in lucid dreaming). This topographic re-organization is accompanied by dynamic changes; a shift towards slower frequencies and longer timescales. This puts dreams dynamically in an intermediate position between awake state and NREM 2/SWS sleep. TRoD proposes that the shift towards DMN and slower frequencies leads to an abnormal spatiotemporal framing of input processing including both internally- and externally-generated inputs (from body and environment). In dreams, a shift away from temporal segregation to temporal integration of inputs results in the often bizarre and highly self-centric mental contents as well as hallucinatory-like states. We conclude that topography and temporal dynamics are core features of the TroD, which may provide the connection of neural and mental activity, e.g., brain and experience during dreams as their "common currency".
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Northoff
- Faculty of Medicine, Centre for Neural Dynamics, The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
| | - Andrea Scalabrini
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy.
| | - Stuart Fogel
- Sleep and Neuroscience, The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research, Brain and Mind Research Institute and Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
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Peters E, Golembiewski S, Erlacher D, Dresler M. Extending mental practice to sleep: enhancing motor skills through lucid dreaming. Med Hypotheses 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2023.111066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
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7
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Alescio-Lautier B, Chambon C, Deshayes C, Anton JL, Escoffier G, Ferrer MH, Paban V. Problem-solving training modifies cognitive functioning and related functional connectivity in healthy adults. Neuropsychol Rehabil 2023; 33:103-138. [PMID: 34657550 DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2021.1987277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive functioning evolves throughout life. Regular practice of stimulating activities maintains or even strengthens cognitive skills. This study investigated the effects of a cognitive training programme based on complex closed-ended problem solving on innovative thinking. To this end, using partial least squares variance-based structural equation modeling, we first evaluated in 83 healthy adults how inhibition, cognitive flexibility, and reasoning were related to the distinct dimensions of innovative thinking. Second, we assessed how these interactions were modified after cognitive training based on problem solving in a subgroup of 16 subjects compared to leisure activity based on crossword solving in another subgroup of 15 subjects. Third, in a pilot fMRI study, we evaluated changes in brain connectivity at rest as a result of training in the problem solving group. Data on cognitive measures showed that innovative thinking was influenced by reasoning in control subjects, whereas it was influenced by cognitive flexibility following problem-solving training. These findings highlight that a cognitive intervention based on complex closed-ended problem solving promotes innovative thinking by changing the way subjects recruit and use relevant cognitive processes. Modifications in the resting-state connectivity of attention, default mode and visual networks were observed in the problem solving group.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Caroline Chambon
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LNC-UMR 7291, NeuroMarseille InCiam, Marseille, France
| | - Claire Deshayes
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LNC-UMR 7291, NeuroMarseille InCiam, Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Luc Anton
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Centre IRM-INT@CERIMED, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, UMR7289 CNRS & AMU, Faculté de Médecine de la Timone, Marseille
| | - Guy Escoffier
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, INP, UMR 7051, Faculté de pharmacie, campus Timone Marseille, France
| | - Marie-Hélène Ferrer
- Département Neurosciences et Contraintes Opérationnelles (NCO), Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (IRBA) 91223 Brétigny-sur-Orge, Cedex, France
| | - Véronique Paban
- Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, LNC-UMR 7291, NeuroMarseille InCiam, Marseille, France
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8
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Elce V, Handjaras G, Bernardi G. The Language of Dreams: Application of Linguistics-Based Approaches for the Automated Analysis of Dream Experiences. Clocks Sleep 2021; 3:495-514. [PMID: 34563057 PMCID: PMC8482230 DOI: 10.3390/clockssleep3030035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of dreams represents a crucial intersection between philosophical, psychological, neuroscientific, and clinical interests. Importantly, one of the main sources of insight into dreaming activity are the (oral or written) reports provided by dreamers upon awakening from their sleep. Classically, two main types of information are commonly extracted from dream reports: structural and semantic, content-related information. Extracted structural information is typically limited to the simple count of words or sentences in a report. Instead, content analysis usually relies on quantitative scores assigned by two or more (blind) human operators through the use of predefined coding systems. Within this review, we will show that methods borrowed from the field of linguistic analysis, such as graph analysis, dictionary-based content analysis, and distributional semantics approaches, could be used to complement and, in many cases, replace classical measures and scales for the quantitative structural and semantic assessment of dream reports. Importantly, these methods allow the direct (operator-independent) extraction of quantitative information from language data, hence enabling a fully objective and reproducible analysis of conscious experiences occurring during human sleep. Most importantly, these approaches can be partially or fully automatized and may thus be easily applied to the analysis of large datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giulio Bernardi
- MoMiLab Research Unit, IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, 55100 Lucca, Italy; (V.E.); (G.H.)
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9
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Konjedi S, Maleeh R. The dynamic framework of mind wandering revisited: How mindful meta-awareness affects mental states' constraints. Conscious Cogn 2021; 95:103194. [PMID: 34419729 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The dynamic framework of mind wandering (Christoff, Irving, Fox, Spreng, & Andrews-Hanna, 2016) is reviewed and modified through integrating the construct of mindful meta-awareness. The dynamic framework maintains that mind wandering belongs to a family of spontaneous thought phenomena. The key defining feature of mind wandering is 'spontaneity' which characterizes the dynamic nature of thoughts in the framework. The argument is made that incorporating the mindful meta-awareness construct modifies the dynamic framework as follows: (1) the framework's criteria for mind wandering do not hold anymore as meta-awareness changes the relationship between thoughts and constraints, and (2) lucid dreaming can be categorized as unguided thought while at the same time being dependent on deliberate constraints. Finally, the application of this modified framework will be discussed in terms of the treatment of mental disorders related to spontaneous thought alterations, in particular depression and nightmares.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Reza Maleeh
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, 49069 Osnabrück, Germany; School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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10
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Mota-Rolim SA, de Almondes KM, Kirov R. Editorial: "Is this a Dream?" - Evolutionary, Neurobiological and Psychopathological Perspectives on Lucid Dreaming. Front Psychol 2021; 12:635183. [PMID: 33633654 PMCID: PMC7900550 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sergio A Mota-Rolim
- Brain Institute, Physiology and Behavior Department, and Onofre Lopes University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Katie M de Almondes
- Department of Psychology, Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Onofre Lopes University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Roumen Kirov
- Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
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11
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Hobson JA, Gott JA, Friston KJ. Minds and Brains, Sleep and Psychiatry. PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE 2020; 3:12-28. [PMID: 35174319 PMCID: PMC8834904 DOI: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20200023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective This article offers a philosophical thesis for psychiatric disorders that rests upon some simple truths about the mind and brain. Specifically, it asks whether the dual aspect monism—that emerges from sleep research and theoretical neurobiology—can be applied to pathophysiology and psychopathology in psychiatry. Methods Our starting point is that the mind and brain are emergent aspects of the same (neuronal) dynamics; namely, the brain–mind. Our endpoint is that synaptic dysconnection syndromes inherit the same dual aspect; namely, aberrant inference or belief updating on the one hand, and a failure of neuromodulatory synaptic gain control on the other. We start with some basic considerations from sleep research that integrate the phenomenology of dreaming with the neurophysiology of sleep. Results We then leverage this treatment by treating the brain as an organ of inference. Our particular focus is on the role of precision (i.e., the representation of uncertainty) in belief updating and the accompanying synaptic mechanisms. Conclusions Finally, we suggest a dual aspect approach—based upon belief updating (i.e., mind processes) and its neurophysiological implementation (i.e., brain processes)—has a wide explanatory compass for psychiatry and various movement disorders. This approach identifies the kind of pathophysiology that underwrites psychopathology—and points to certain psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological targets, which may stand in mechanistic relation to each other. The ‘mind’ emerges from Bayesian belief updating in the ‘brain’ Psychopathology can be read as aberrant belief updating. Aberrant belief updating follows from any neuromodulatory synaptopathy
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Allan Hobson
- Division of Sleep Medicine Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts
| | - Jarrod A. Gott
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour Radboud University Nijmegen
| | - Karl J. Friston
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging University College London London
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12
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Carr P. The value of visioning: Augmenting EMDR with alpha-band alternating bilateral photic stimulation for trauma treatment in schizophrenia. Med Hypotheses 2020; 144:110184. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2020.110184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Gott J, Rak M, Bovy L, Peters E, van Hooijdonk CFM, Mangiaruga A, Varatheeswaran R, Chaabou M, Gorman L, Wilson S, Weber F, Talamini L, Steiger A, Dresler M. Sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming. Conscious Cogn 2020; 84:102988. [PMID: 32768920 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Lucid dreaming-the phenomenon of experiencing waking levels of self-reflection within one's dreams-is associated with more wake-like levels of neural activation in prefrontal brain regions. In addition, alternating periods of wakefulness and sleep might increase the likelihood of experiencing a lucid dream. Here we investigate the association between sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming, with a multi-centre study encompassing four different investigations into subjective and objective measures of sleep fragmentation, nocturnal awakenings, sleep quality and polyphasic sleep schedules. Results across these four studies provide a more nuanced picture into the purported connection between sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming: While self-assessed numbers of awakenings, polyphasic sleep and physiologically validated wake-REM sleep transitions were associated with lucid dreaming, neither self-assessed sleep quality, nor physiologically validated numbers of awakenings were. We discuss these results, and their underlying neural mechanisms, within the general question of whether sleep fragmentation and lucid dreaming share a causal link.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrod Gott
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Rak
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Leonore Bovy
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Emma Peters
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Carmen F M van Hooijdonk
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Healthcare, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Anastasia Mangiaruga
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Axel Steiger
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Dresler
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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A single psychotomimetic dose of ketamine decreases thalamocortical spindles and delta oscillations in the sedated rat. Schizophr Res 2020; 222:362-374. [PMID: 32507548 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In patients with psychotic disorders, sleep spindles are reduced, supporting the hypothesis that the thalamus and glutamate receptors play a crucial etio-pathophysiological role, whose underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We hypothesized that a reduced function of NMDA receptors is involved in the spindle deficit observed in schizophrenia. METHODS An electrophysiological multisite cell-to-network exploration was used to investigate, in pentobarbital-sedated rats, the effects of a single psychotomimetic dose of the NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist ketamine in the sensorimotor and associative/cognitive thalamocortical (TC) systems. RESULTS Under the control condition, spontaneously-occurring spindles (intra-frequency: 10-16 waves/s) and delta-frequency (1-4 Hz) oscillations were recorded in the frontoparietal cortical EEG, in thalamic extracellular recordings, in dual juxtacellularly recorded GABAergic thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) and glutamatergic TC neurons, and in intracellularly recorded TC neurons. The TRN cells rhythmically exhibited robust high-frequency bursts of action potentials (7 to 15 APs at 200-700 Hz). A single administration of low-dose ketamine fleetingly reduced TC spindles and delta oscillations, amplified ongoing gamma-(30-80 Hz) and higher-frequency oscillations, and switched the firing pattern of both TC and TRN neurons from a burst mode to a single AP mode. Furthermore, ketamine strengthened the gamma-frequency band TRN-TC connectivity. The antipsychotic clozapine consistently prevented the ketamine effects on spindles, delta- and gamma-/higher-frequency TC oscillations. CONCLUSION The present findings support the hypothesis that NMDA receptor hypofunction is involved in the reduction in sleep spindles and delta oscillations. The ketamine-induced swift conversion of ongoing TC-TRN activities may have involved at least both the ascending reticular activating system and the corticothalamic pathway.
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15
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Fosse R, Larøi F. Quantifying auditory impressions in dreams in order to assess the relevance of dreaming as a model for psychosis. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230212. [PMID: 32163491 PMCID: PMC7067405 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
A long noted hypothesis is that mechanisms of dreaming play a role in psychotic hallucinations. One challenge for this hypothesis is that while psychotic hallucinations primarily are auditory, dreaming most characteristically is visual. At the same time, previous studies have not explicitly examined auditory impressions in dreaming. Here, we mapped the prevalence and characteristics of auditory impressions in 130 dreams reported after spontaneous awakenings from sleep in 13 normal, healthy people. We instructed participants to report any dream they could recall and to pay particular attention to possible auditory impressions. The participants reported auditory impressions in 93.9% of their dreams on average. The most prevalent auditory type was other people speaking (83.9% of participants’ dreams), followed by the dreamer speaking (60.0%), and other types of sounds (e.g. music, 33.1%). Of altogether 407 instances of auditory impressions in the 130 dreams, auditory quality was judged comparable to waking in 46.4%, indeterminate in 50.6%, and absent or only thought-like in 2.9%. The results suggest that also internally generated auditory (verbal) sensations are a central component of dreaming, typically occurring several times every night in normal, healthy people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roar Fosse
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Drammen, Norway
- * E-mail:
| | - Frank Larøi
- Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- NORMENT – Norwegian Center of Excellence for Mental Disorders Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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16
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Soffer-Dudek N. Are Lucid Dreams Good for Us? Are We Asking the Right Question? A Call for Caution in Lucid Dream Research. Front Neurosci 2020; 13:1423. [PMID: 32038133 PMCID: PMC6993576 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nirit Soffer-Dudek
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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17
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Yu C, Shen H. Bizarreness of Lucid and Non-lucid Dream: Effects of Metacognition. Front Psychol 2020; 10:2946. [PMID: 31998195 PMCID: PMC6962195 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Dreams are usually characterized by primary consciousness, bizarreness and cognitive deficits, lacking metacognition. However, lucid dreaming (LD) is a type of consciousness state during which the dreamer is aware of the fact that he or she is dreaming, without leaving the sleeping state. Brain research has found that LD shares some common neural mechanisms with metacognition such as self-reflection. With a different metacognition level, the bizarreness of LD would also change. However, the difference in bizarreness between LD and non-LD was seldom explored, and individual differences were often neglected. In the present study, considering LD prevalence in Asia was rarely studied and related results in China and Japan were very different from each other, we first investigated the LD frequency of China in a standardized way. On that basis, we collected dreams of subjects who had relatively higher LD frequency and compared bizarreness density (BD) of LD and non-LD. Moreover, to explore the relationships of metacognition traits and BD, we also measured self-reflection and insight trait by Self-Reflection and Insight Scale. We found that 81.3% of subjects have experienced LD once or more, which is similar to findings in some western countries. Besides, BD was significantly lower in LD than in non-LD. Self-reflection and insight were inversely associated with dream bizarreness. These findings indicate that self-consciousness traits extend from waking to LD and non-LD state. As a particular consciousness state, LD may shed light on the research of consciousness and dream continuity. Future research on dream bizarreness is suggested to take dream types and metacognition differences into consideration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunyun Yu
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Heyong Shen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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18
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Baird B, Mota-Rolim SA, Dresler M. The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 100:305-323. [PMID: 30880167 PMCID: PMC6451677 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Lucid dreaming refers to the phenomenon of becoming aware of the fact that one is dreaming during ongoing sleep. Despite having been physiologically validated for decades, the neurobiology of lucid dreaming is still incompletely characterized. Here we review the neuroscientific literature on lucid dreaming, including electroencephalographic, neuroimaging, brain lesion, pharmacological and brain stimulation studies. Electroencephalographic studies of lucid dreaming are mostly underpowered and show mixed results. Neuroimaging data is scant but preliminary results suggest that prefrontal and parietal regions are involved in lucid dreaming. A focus of research is also to develop methods to induce lucid dreams. Combining training in mental set with cholinergic stimulation has shown promising results, while it remains unclear whether electrical brain stimulation could be used to induce lucid dreams. Finally, we discuss strategies to measure lucid dreaming, including best-practice procedures for the sleep laboratory. Lucid dreaming has clinical and scientific applications, and shows emerging potential as a methodology in the cognitive neuroscience of consciousness. Further research with larger sample sizes and refined methodology is needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Baird
- Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
| | - Sergio A Mota-Rolim
- Brain Institute, Physiology Department and Onofre Lopes University Hospital - Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Martin Dresler
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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19
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Baird B, Castelnovo A, Gosseries O, Tononi G. Frequent lucid dreaming associated with increased functional connectivity between frontopolar cortex and temporoparietal association areas. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17798. [PMID: 30542052 PMCID: PMC6290891 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36190-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans typically lack awareness that they are dreaming while dreaming. However, at times a remarkable exception occurs and reflective consciousness can be regained while dreaming, referred to as lucid dreaming. While most individuals experience lucid dreams rarely there is substantial variance in lucid dream frequency. The neurobiological basis of lucid dreaming is unknown, but evidence points to involvement of anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) and parietal cortex. This study evaluated the neuroanatomical/neurofunctional correlates of frequent lucid dreams and specifically whether functional connectivity of aPFC is associated with frequent lucid dreams. We analyzed structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging from an exceptional sample of fourteen individuals who reported ≥3 lucid dreams/week and a control group matched on age, gender and dream recall that reported ≤1 lucid dream/year. Compared to controls, the frequent lucid dream group showed significantly increased resting-state functional connectivity between left aPFC and bilateral angular gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus, and higher node degree and strength in left aPFC. In contrast, no significant differences in brain structure were observed. Our results suggest that frequent lucid dreaming is associated with increased functional connectivity between aPFC and temporoparietal association areas, regions normally deactivated during sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Baird
- Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
| | - Anna Castelnovo
- Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
- Sleep and Epilepsy Center Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital (EOC) of Lugano, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Olivia Gosseries
- Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA
- Coma Science Group GIGA-Consciousness, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
| | - Giulio Tononi
- Wisconsin Institute for Sleep and Consciousness Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
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20
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Voss U, D'Agostino A, Kolibius L, Klimke A, Scarone S, Hobson JA. Insight and Dissociation in Lucid Dreaming and Psychosis. Front Psychol 2018; 9:2164. [PMID: 30483185 PMCID: PMC6241172 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dreams and psychosis share several important features regarding symptoms and underlying neurobiology, which is helpful in constructing a testable model of, for example, schizophrenia and delirium. The purpose of the present communication is to discuss two major concepts in dreaming and psychosis that have received much attention in the recent literature: insight and dissociation. Both phenomena are considered functions of higher order consciousness because they involve metacognition in the form of reflective thought and attempted control of negative emotional impact. Insight in dreams is a core criterion for lucid dreams. Lucid dreams are usually accompanied by attempts to control the dream plot and dissociative elements akin to depersonalization and derealization. These concepts are also relevant in psychotic illness. Whereas insightfulness can be considered innocuous in lucid dreaming and even advantageous in psychosis, the concept of dissociation is still unresolved. The present review compares correlates and functions of insight and dissociation in lucid dreaming and psychosis. This is helpful in understanding the two concepts with regard to psychological function as well as neurophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursula Voss
- Psychology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany.,VITOS Hochtaunus Klinik, Psychiatrisches Krankenhaus, Friedrichsdorf, Germany
| | - Armando D'Agostino
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Kolibius
- Psychology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany.,VITOS Hochtaunus Klinik, Psychiatrisches Krankenhaus, Friedrichsdorf, Germany
| | - Ansgar Klimke
- Psychology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatry Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Silvio Scarone
- Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - J Allan Hobson
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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21
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Seeman MV. Successful treatment of nightmares may reduce psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. World J Psychiatry 2018; 8:75-78. [PMID: 30254976 PMCID: PMC6147773 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v8.i3.75] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Nightmares occur more frequently in patients with schizophrenia than they do in the general population. Nightmares are profoundly distressing and may exacerbate daytime psychotic symptoms and undermine day-to-day function. Clinicians do not often ask about nightmares in the context of psychotic illness and patients may underreport them or, if nightmares are reported, they may be disregarded; it may be assumed that they will disappear with antipsychotic medication and that they do not, therefore, require separate intervention. This is a missed opportunity because Image Rehearsal Therapy, among other psychological and pharmacological interventions, has proven effective for nightmares in non-schizophrenia populations and should be considered at an early stage of psychotic illness as an important adjunct to standard treatment. There is active ongoing research in this field, which will undoubtedly benefit patients with schizophrenia in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary V Seeman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5P 3L6, Canada
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22
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Aviram L, Soffer-Dudek N. Lucid Dreaming: Intensity, But Not Frequency, Is Inversely Related to Psychopathology. Front Psychol 2018; 9:384. [PMID: 29623062 PMCID: PMC5875414 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is awareness that one is dreaming, during the dream state. However, some define and assess LD relying also on controlling dream events, although control is present only in a subset of lucid dreams. LD has been claimed to represent well-being, and has even been used as a therapeutic agent. Conversely, LD is associated with mixed sleep-wake states, which are related to bizarre cognitions, stress, and psychopathology, and have been construed as arousal permeating and disrupting sleep. We propose that previous conflicting findings regarding relations between LD and both psychopathology and well-being, stem from the non-differentiated assessment of frequency and control. The present study aimed to develop an expansive measure of several LD characteristics (the Frequency and Intensity Lucid Dream questionnaire; FILD), and explore their relations with symptomatology. Undergraduate students (N = 187) self-reported trait LD, psychopathology (depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, dissociation, and schizotypy), stress, and sleep problems; 2 months later, a subsample (n = 78) reported psychopathology again, and also completed a dream diary each morning for 14 days. Preliminary evidence supports the reliability and validity of the FILD. Items converged into four domains: frequency, intensity (e.g., control, activity, certainty of dreaming), emotional valence, and the use of induction techniques. We report an optimal frequency cutoff score to identify those likely to experience LD within a 2-week period. Whereas LD frequency was unrelated to psychopathology, LD intensity, and positive LD emotions, were inversely associated with several psychopathological symptoms. Use of deliberate induction techniques was positively associated with psychopathology and sleep problems. Additionally, we demonstrated directionality by employing a prospective-longitudinal design, showing that deliberate LD induction predicted an increase in dissociation and schizotypy symptoms across 2 months. We conclude that lucidity should not be considered as necessarily suggestive of well-being; LD may be positive or negative, depending on lucidity characteristics. Additionally, deliberate LD induction may harbor negative long-term risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nirit Soffer-Dudek
- The Consciousness and Psychopathology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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23
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Castro-Zaballa S, Cavelli ML, Gonzalez J, Nardi AE, Machado S, Scorza C, Torterolo P. EEG 40 Hz Coherence Decreases in REM Sleep and Ketamine Model of Psychosis. Front Psychiatry 2018; 9:766. [PMID: 30705645 PMCID: PMC6345101 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive processes are carried out during wakefulness by means of extensive interactions between cortical and subcortical areas. In psychiatric conditions, such as psychosis, these processes are altered. Interestingly, REM sleep where most dreams occurs, shares electrophysiological, pharmacological, and neurochemical features with psychosis. Because of this fact, REM sleep is considered a natural model of psychosis. Ketamine is a non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist that at sub-anesthetic dose induces psychotomimetic-like effects in humans and animals, and is employed as a pharmacological model of psychosis. Oscillations in the gamma frequency band of the electroencephalogram (EEG), mainly at about 40 Hz, have been involved in cognitive functions. Hence, the present study was conducted to analyze the EEG low gamma (30-45 Hz) band power and coherence of the cat, in natural (REM sleep) and pharmacological (sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine) models of psychosis. These results were compared with the gamma activity during alert (AW) and quiet wakefulness (QW), as well as during non-REM (NREM) sleep. Five cats were chronically prepared for polysomnographic recordings, with electrodes in different cortical areas. Basal recordings were obtained and ketamine (5, 10, and 15 mg/kg, i.m.) was administrated. Gamma activity (power and coherence) was analyzed in the abovementioned conditions. Compared to wakefulness and NREM sleep, following ketamine administration gamma coherence decreased among all cortical regions studied; the same coherence profile was observed during REM sleep. On the contrary, gamma power was relatively high under ketamine, and similar to QW and REM sleep. We conclude that functional interactions between cortical areas in the gamma frequency band decrease in both experimental models of psychosis. This uncoupling of gamma frequency activity may be involved in the cognitive features shared by dreaming and psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Castro-Zaballa
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Sueño, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Matías Lorenzo Cavelli
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Sueño, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Joaquin Gonzalez
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Sueño, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Antonio Egidio Nardi
- Laboratório de Pânico e Respiração, Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Neurociência da Atividade Física, Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sergio Machado
- Laboratório de Pânico e Respiração, Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Laboratório de Neurociência da Atividade Física, Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,The Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group, Merida, Mexico
| | - Cecilia Scorza
- Departamento de Neurofarmacología Experimental, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Pablo Torterolo
- Laboratorio de Neurobiología del Sueño, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay.,The Intercontinental Neuroscience Research Group, Merida, Mexico
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24
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Friston KJ, Lin M, Frith CD, Pezzulo G, Hobson JA, Ondobaka S. Active Inference, Curiosity and Insight. Neural Comput 2017; 29:2633-2683. [PMID: 28777724 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_00999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 152] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
This article offers a formal account of curiosity and insight in terms of active (Bayesian) inference. It deals with the dual problem of inferring states of the world and learning its statistical structure. In contrast to current trends in machine learning (e.g., deep learning), we focus on how people attain insight and understanding using just a handful of observations, which are solicited through curious behavior. We use simulations of abstract rule learning and approximate Bayesian inference to show that minimizing (expected) variational free energy leads to active sampling of novel contingencies. This epistemic behavior closes explanatory gaps in generative models of the world, thereby reducing uncertainty and satisfying curiosity. We then move from epistemic learning to model selection or structure learning to show how abductive processes emerge when agents test plausible hypotheses about symmetries (i.e., invariances or rules) in their generative models. The ensuing Bayesian model reduction evinces mechanisms associated with sleep and has all the hallmarks of "aha" moments. This formulation moves toward a computational account of consciousness in the pre-Cartesian sense of sharable knowledge (i.e., con: "together"; scire: "to know").
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Marco Lin
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Christopher D Frith
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London WC1N 3BG, and Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Studies, University of London EC1E 7HU, U.K.
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, 7-00185 Rome, Italy
| | - J Allan Hobson
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London WC1N 3BG, U.K., and Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A.
| | - Sasha Ondobaka
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
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25
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Mutz J, Javadi AH. Exploring the neural correlates of dream phenomenology and altered states of consciousness during sleep. Neurosci Conscious 2017; 2017:nix009. [PMID: 30042842 PMCID: PMC6007136 DOI: 10.1093/nc/nix009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2017] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The science of dreaming constitutes a relevant topic in modern-day neuroscientific research and provides major insights into the study of human consciousness. Linking specific, universal, and regularly occurring stages of sleep with dreaming encourages the direct and systematic investigation of a topic that has fascinated humankind for centuries. In this review, we explore to what extent individuals dream during periods of rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement sleep, and we introduce research on lucid dreaming. We then discuss how dreaming during different stages of sleep varies in terms of phenomenological characteristics, and to what extent individuals are conscious throughout the sleep cycle. Finally, we provide a synopsis of the previous literature on brain activity during sleep, and we aim to clarify how the neurofunctional changes observed throughout sleep may lead to changes in phenomenological aspects of dreams, and in the domain of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Mutz
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - Amir-Homayoun Javadi
- School of Psychology, Keynes College, University of Kent, Canterbury, CT2 7NP, UK
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26
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Caletti E, Marotta G, Del Vecchio G, Paoli RA, Cigliobianco M, Prunas C, Zugno E, Bottinelli F, Brambilla P, Altamura AC. The metabolic basis of cognitive insight in psychosis: A positron emission tomography study. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0175803. [PMID: 28414766 PMCID: PMC5393874 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive insight and cerebral metabolism in patients suffering from psychosis. The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) was administered to 63 patients with psychosis undergoing Positron Emission Tomography investigation. The sample was divided into two groups considering the BCIS score. Data were analyzed using Statistical Parametric Mapping. RESULTS patients with low insight, compared to those with high insight, showed decreased metabolism in the right fusiform gyrus, left precuneus, superior temporal gyrus and insula bilaterally, as well as increased metabolism in the left orbito-frontal gyrus (all p<0.005). Our results suggest that reduced posterior (occipito-temporo-insulo-parietal) and increased anterior (orbitofrontal) cerebral metabolism may sustain low cognitive insight in psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Caletti
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Marotta
- Section of Nuclear Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo A. Paoli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Cigliobianco
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Cecilia Prunas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Elisa Zugno
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Bottinelli
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Texas at Houston, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | - A. Carlo Altamura
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
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27
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Rădulescu AR, Hannon ER. Applying fMRI complexity analyses to the single subject: a case study for proposed neurodiagnostics. Neurocase 2017; 23:120-137. [PMID: 28562172 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2017.1316410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Nonlinear dynamic tools have been statistically validated at the group level to identify subtle differences in system wide regulation of brain meso-circuits, often increasing clinical sensitivity over conventional analyses alone. We explored the feasibility of extracting information at the single-subject level, illustrating two pairs of healthy individuals with psychological differences in stress reactivity. We applied statistical and nonlinear dynamic tools to capture key characteristics of the prefrontal-limbic loop. We compared single subject results with statistical results for the larger group. We concluded that complexity analyses may identify important differences at the single-subject level, supporting their potential towards neurodiagnostic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily R Hannon
- b Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology , University of Colorado at Boulder , Boulder , CO , USA
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28
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Horton CL. Consciousness across Sleep and Wake: Discontinuity and Continuity of Memory Experiences As a Reflection of Consolidation Processes. Front Psychiatry 2017; 8:159. [PMID: 28936183 PMCID: PMC5594063 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Accepted: 08/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The continuity hypothesis (1) posits that there is continuity, of some form, between waking and dreaming mentation. A recent body of work has provided convincing evidence for different aspects of continuity, for instance that some salient experiences from waking life seem to feature in dreams over others, with a particular role for emotional arousal as accompanying these experiences, both during waking and while asleep. However, discontinuities have been somewhat dismissed as being either a product of activation-synthesis, an error within the consciousness binding process during sleep, a methodological anomaly, or simply as yet unexplained. This paper presents an overview of discontinuity within dreaming and waking cognition, arguing that disruptions of consciousness are as common a feature of waking cognition as of dreaming cognition, and that processes of sleep-dependent memory consolidation of autobiographical experiences can in part account for some of the discontinuities of sleeping cognition in a functional way. By drawing upon evidence of the incorporation, fragmentation, and reorganization of memories within dreams, this paper proposes a model of discontinuity whereby the fragmentation of autobiographical and episodic memories during sleep, as part of the consolidation process, render salient aspects of those memories subsequently available for retrieval in isolation from their contextual features. As such discontinuity of consciousness in sleep is functional and normal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline L Horton
- DrEAMSLab, Psychology, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln, United Kingdom
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29
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Llewellyn S. Crossing the invisible line: De-differentiation of wake, sleep and dreaming may engender both creative insight and psychopathology. Conscious Cogn 2016; 46:127-147. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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30
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Shen W, Yuan Y, Liu C, Zhang X, Luo J, Gong Z. Is creative insight task-specific? A coordinate-based meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on insightful problem solving. Int J Psychophysiol 2016; 110:81-90. [PMID: 27720998 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 10/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The question of whether creative insight varies across problem types has recently come to the forefront of studies of creative cognition. In the present study, to address the nature of creative insight, the coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation (ALE) technique was utilized to individually conduct three quantitative meta-analyses of neuroimaging experiments that used the compound remote associate (CRA) task, the prototype heuristic (PH) task and the Chinese character chunk decomposition (CCD) task. These tasks were chosen because they are frequently used to uncover the neurocognitive correlates of insight. Our results demonstrated that creative insight reliably activates largely non-overlapping brain regions across task types, with the exception of some shared regions: the CRA task mainly relied on the right parahippocampal gyrus, the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior frontal gyrus; the PH task primarily depended on the right middle occipital gyrus (MOG), the bilateral superior parietal lobule/precuneus, the left inferior parietal lobule, the left lingual gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus; and the CCD task activated a broad cerebral network consisting of most dorsolateral and medial prefrontal regions, frontoparietal regions and the right MOG. These results provide the first neural evidence of the task dependence of creative insight. The implications of these findings for resolving conflict surrounding the different theories of creative cognition and for defining insight as a set of heterogeneous processes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wangbing Shen
- School of Public Administration and Institute of Applied Psychology, Hohai University, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Nanjing Normal University of Special Education, China; School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China.
| | - Chang Liu
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China.
| | - Xiaojiang Zhang
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China
| | - Jing Luo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, Capital Normal University, China; Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.
| | - Zhe Gong
- School of Psychology and Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Nanjing Normal University, China
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Wu X, Gu X, Zhang H. The Facilitative Effects of Ambiguous Figures on Creative Solution. JOURNAL OF CREATIVE BEHAVIOR 2016. [DOI: 10.1002/jocb.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Wu
- Shanxi Norman University
- Capital Norman University
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Mota NB, Resende A, Mota-Rolim SA, Copelli M, Ribeiro S. Psychosis and the Control of Lucid Dreaming. Front Psychol 2016; 7:294. [PMID: 27014118 PMCID: PMC4783408 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Dreaming and psychosis share important features, such as intrinsic sense perceptions independent of external stimulation, and a general lack of criticism that is associated with reduced frontal cerebral activity. Awareness of dreaming while a dream is happening defines lucid dreaming (LD), a state in which the prefrontal cortex is more active than during regular dreaming. For this reason, LD has been proposed to be potentially therapeutic for psychotic patients. According to this view, psychotic patients would be expected to report LD less frequently, and with lower control ability, than healthy subjects. Furthermore, psychotic patients able to experience LD should present milder psychiatric symptoms, in comparison with psychotic patients unable to experience LD. To test these hypotheses, we investigated LD features (occurrence, control abilities, frequency, and affective valence) and psychiatric symptoms (measure by PANSS, BPRS, and automated speech analysis) in 45 subjects with psychotic symptoms [25 with Schizophrenia (S) and 20 with Bipolar Disorder (B) diagnosis] versus 28 non-psychotic control (C) subjects. Psychotic lucid dreamers reported control of their dreams more frequently (67% of S and 73% of B) than non-psychotic lucid dreamers (only 23% of C; S > C with p = 0.0283, B > C with p = 0.0150). Importantly, there was no clinical advantage for lucid dreamers among psychotic patients, even for the diagnostic question specifically related to lack of judgment and insight. Despite some limitations (e.g., transversal design, large variation of medications), these preliminary results support the notion that LD is associated with psychosis, but falsify the hypotheses that we set out to test. A possible explanation is that psychosis enhances the experience of internal reality in detriment of external reality, and therefore lucid dreamers with psychotic symptoms would be more able to control their internal reality than non-psychotic lucid dreamers. Training dream lucidity is likely to produce safe psychological strengthening in a non-psychotic population, but in a psychotic population LD practice may further empower deliria and hallucinations, giving internal reality the appearance of external reality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália B. Mota
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteNatal, Brazil
| | - Adara Resende
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteNatal, Brazil
| | - Sérgio A. Mota-Rolim
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteNatal, Brazil
- Onofre Lopes University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteNatal, Brazil
| | - Mauro Copelli
- Physics Department, Federal University of PernambucoRecife, Brazil
| | - Sidarta Ribeiro
- Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do NorteNatal, Brazil
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Bob P, Louchakova O. Dissociative states in dreams and brain chaos: implications for creative awareness. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1353. [PMID: 26441729 PMCID: PMC4561345 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 08/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
This article reviews recent findings indicating some common brain processes during dissociative states and dreaming with the aim to outline a perspective that neural chaotic states during dreaming can be closely related to dissociative states that may manifest in dreams scenery. These data are in agreement with various clinical findings that dissociated states can be projected into the "dream scenery" in REM sleep periods and dreams may represent their specific interactions that may uncover unusual psychological potential of creativity in psychotherapy, art, and scientific discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Bob
- Center for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry and UHSL, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles UniversityPrague, Czech Republic
- Central European Institute of Technology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
| | - Olga Louchakova
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, DavisDavis, CA, USA
- Sofia UniversityPalo Alto, CA, USA
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Filevich E, Dresler M, Brick TR, Kühn S. Metacognitive mechanisms underlying lucid dreaming. J Neurosci 2015; 35:1082-8. [PMID: 25609624 PMCID: PMC6605529 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3342-14.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2014] [Revised: 10/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Lucid dreaming is a state of awareness that one is dreaming, without leaving the sleep state. Dream reports show that self-reflection and volitional control are more pronounced in lucid compared with nonlucid dreams. Mostly on these grounds, lucid dreaming has been associated with metacognition. However, the link to lucid dreaming at the neural level has not yet been explored. We sought for relationships between the neural correlates of lucid dreaming and thought monitoring. Human participants completed a questionnaire assessing lucid dreaming ability, and underwent structural and functional MRI. We split participants based on their reported dream lucidity. Participants in the high-lucidity group showed greater gray matter volume in the frontopolar cortex (BA9/10) compared with those in the low-lucidity group. Further, differences in brain structure were mirrored by differences in brain function. The BA9/10 regions identified through structural analyses showed increases in blood oxygen level-dependent signal during thought monitoring in both groups, and more strongly in the high-lucidity group. Our results reveal shared neural systems between lucid dreaming and metacognitive function, in particular in the domain of thought monitoring. This finding contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms enabling higher-order consciousness in dreams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Filevich
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany,
| | - Martin Dresler
- Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, 6525 EZ Nijmegen, The Netherlands and
| | - Timothy R Brick
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Simone Kühn
- Center for Lifespan Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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