Dreamconsciousness

IFYOUHAVESEENtherecentHollywoodblockbusterInception,amoviethatdoestodreaming
whatTheMatrixdidforvirtualreality,youmayhavebeenholdingyourbreathasAriadne,an
architecturestudent,foldedthestreetsofParisoverherselflikeablanket.Thisstunningsequence,an
homagetoM.C.Escher,istestimonytothebizarrenatureofdreams.Watchingitmadethe
neuroscientistinmereflectonwhatdreamsareandhowtheyrelatetothebrain.

Thefirstquestioniseasytoanswer.Dreamsarevivid,sensorimotorhallucinationswithanarrative
structure.Weexperiencethemconsciouslyseeing,hearingandtouchingwithinenvironmentsthat
appearcompletelyreal(thoughcuriously,wedonotsmellinourdreams).Norarewemerepassive
observers:wespeak,fight,loveandrun.

Dreamconsciousnessisnotthesameaswakefulconsciousness.Weareforthemostpartunableto
introspecttowonderaboutouruncannyabilitytoflyortomeetsomebodylongdead.Onlyrarelydo
wecontrolourdreams;ratherthingshappen,andwegoalongfortheride.

Everyonedreams,includingdogs,catsandothermammals.Butsleeplabdatarevealthatpeople
consistentlyunderreporthowoftenandhowmuch.Thereasonisthatdreamsareephemeral.Memory
fordreamsisverylimitedandlargelyrestrictedtotheperiodbeforeawakening.Theonlywayto
rememberadreamistoimmediatelyrecallitonwakingandthenwriteitdownordescribeittoanother
person.Onlythendoesitscontentbecomeencodedinmemory.

Althoughweoftenhavetroublerememberingdreams,ourdreamingselveshavefullaccesstoour
pasts.Indreamswerecallearlierepisodesfromourlives,andweoftenexperienceintensefeelingsof
sadness,fear,anxietyorjoy.PerhapsitwasthisheightenedemotionalitythatledSigmundFreudto
speculatethatdreamsserveaswishfulfillment.Regardless,theanswertomysecondquestionhow
andwhydoesthebrainmanufacturedreams?remainsafundamentalmystery.Butpsychologistsand
brainscientistshaverecentlyrenewedtheirinterestinthiseverydaysurrealactivity.

PerchancetoDream
In1953NathanielKleitmanoftheUniversityofChicagoandhisgraduatestudentEugeneAserinsky
discoveredthatslumber,whichhadbeenconsideredasinglecontinuousperiodofdowntime,contains
recurringperiodsinwhichthesleeperseyesmoveabout,heartbeatandbreathingbecomeirregular,
mostvoluntarymusclesareparalyzedandbrainactivity(asmeasuredbyelectroencephalography)is
heightened.Thesefast,lowvoltagebrainwavesresembletheonesthatoccurduringwakefulness.This
statebecameknownasrapideyemovement(REM)sleep,todistinguishitfromdeepsleep.

WhenpeoplearewokenfromREMsleep,theyusuallyreportvividdreams.Suchreportsdonotoccur
whenpeoplearerousedfromnonREMsleep.ThusarosethecloseassociationbetweenREMsleep
andtheoneiricstate.Formanyyearsexpertsassociateddreamconsciousnesswiththedistinct
physiologyofthebrainduringREMsleep.

Butinthepastseveraldecadesthatunderstandinghasbeguntoslowlyshift.Whenpeoplewhoare
wokenfromdeepsleepareaskedWhatwaspassingthroughyourmindjustbeforeyouwokeup?
ratherthanthemorebiasedHaveyoubeendreaming?amorenuancedpictureemerges.

Intheearlyphasesofdeepsleep,andduringshortdaytimenaps,whichconsistofpurenonREMsleep,
peoplereportvividhallucinationsthatareshorter,morestaticandmorethoughtlikethanthedreams
thatoccurduringREMsleep.Thesevisionsaretypicallymorelikesnapshotsthannarrativesanddo
notincludeaself.YetaminorityofnonREMdreamreportsareindistinguishablefromREMdreams.
Itisalsonotablethatsleepwalkingandnightmaresoccurindeep,notREM,sleep.Thus,scientistshave
hadtorevisethebeliefthattheREMstateisanexternalmanifestationofthesubjectivedreamstate.

FurtherevidencecomesfromthestudyofbraindamagedpatientsbyneuropsychoanalystMarkSolms
oftheUniversityofCapeTowninSouthAfrica.Whenapartofthebrainstemknownastheponsis
destroyed,peoplenolongerexperienceREMsleep.Butonlyonein26ofsuchpatientsreportsalossof
dreaming,andnobodyhaseverreportedlossofdreamingfromlimitedponsdamage.

Theregionscriticalfordreamingarenotinthepons.Theyincludethevisualandaudiovisualregionsin
andnearthetemporoparietaloccipitaljunctionintheneocortex.Destructionofsmallportionsofthese
areasleadstothelossofspecificdreamingdimensions.Forexample,astroke,tumororothercalamity
inthecorticalregionnecessaryforcolorormotionperceptionwillleachhueormovementfrom
dreams.

Moreover,medicationsthatmanipulatedopaminelevelsstronglyaffectdreamingwhileleavingthe
REMsleepcycleunaffected.Ldopa,themostpopularmedicationforParkinsonsdisease,increases
thefrequencyandvividnessofdreams,whereasantipsychoticdrugsthatblockdopaminereduce
dreaming.

ThedissociationofdreamingfromREMsleepservesasaconceptualclearingofthedeckfor
neuroscientistssuchasmyself.Nowwecanfocusontheneuronalcausesofconsciousmentalactivity,
whetherinadreamingorwakefulstate,withoutbeingconfusedbyextraneousfactorssuchasREMor
nonREMsleepthat,itturnsout,donotpertaintosubjectiveexperienceperse.

TheMindBodyProblem
WhyamIsoconfidentIexperienceanythingwhiledreaming?MaybeIamunconsciouswhile
slumberingandconfabulatemydreamswhenIawaken.

Thisisunlikelyformanyreasons.Thebizarrenessandvividnessofdreamsaredistinctfromnormal
experienceandthereforeunlikelytoberetrofitted.Indeed,peoplewithmemorydeficitsdonotreport
fewerdreams.Additionally,thelengthofdreamreportscorrelateswellwithtimeelapsedinREM
dreams.

MoreevidencecomesfrompeoplewithREMsleepbehaviordisorder,wholackthemuscleparalysis,
knownasatonia,typicalofREMsleep.Theyactouttheirdreams,sometimesevenharmingthemselves
orbedpartners,andtheiractionsmatchtheirdreamreports.Theymight,forinstance,movetheirlegs
whileasleepandlaterreportthattheydreamedofwalking.

Dreamsareofgreatinteresttothestudentofthemindbodyproblem,becausetheybearwitnessthat
thebrainaloneissufficienttogenerateconsciousness.Wedreamwitheyesshutinthedark,
disconnectedfromtheoutsideworld.Thebrainregionsresponsibleforbasicsensoryperceptionare
deactivated.Norisbehaviornecessary,aswearemotionlessexceptforourbreathingandeye
movements.Thus,dreamingsupportstheoldphilosophicalbraininthevatideathatsawitsmodern
renaissanceinTheMatrix.

Cognitiveneuroscientistshaverecentlylearnedtodecodesomesimplementalstatesinessence,a
primitiveformofmindreading.Whenscientistsaskpeopletoviewoneoftwoimagesaportraitora
photographofahouseortoimagineeitherafaceorahouse,theycantellfrombrainanalyseswhich
ofthetwothepersonisseeingorimagining.

Oncesuchtechniquesbecomemoresophisticated,theycouldbeputtouseindreamwork,sothatin
additiontostudyingthephysiologyofthedreamingbrain,investigatorswillbeabletoreadoutthe
contentofthedreamitself.Thenneurosciencewillbeinamuchbetterpositiontoanswertheageold
questionsthathavefascinatedeveryonefromoraclesandshamanstoFreudand,morerecently,
sciencefictionenthusiasts:Whydowedream,andwhatdodreamsmean?
Thisarticlewasoriginallypublishedwiththetitle"ConsciousnessRedux:DreamStates"

(FurtherReading)

DreamingandtheBrain:TowardaCognitiveNeuroscienceofConsciousStates.J.Allan
Hobson,EdwardF.PaceSchottandRobertStickgoldinBehavioralandBrainSciences,
Vol.23,pages793842;2000.

DreamingandREMSleepAreControlledbyDifferentBrainMechanisms.MarkSolms
inBehavioralandBrainSciences,Vol.23,pages843850;2000.

DreamingandtheBrain:FromPhenomenologytoNeurophysiology.YuvalNirand
GiulioTononiinTrendsinCognitiveSciences,Vol.14,pages88100;2010.