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Editorial
. 2017 Sep;9(9):2732-2735.
doi: 10.21037/jtd.2017.07.103.

Unraveling the mystery of dreams

Xiao Lin  1   2 , Ying Han  3 , Lin Lu  1   2   3
Affiliations
Editorial

Unraveling the mystery of dreams

Xiao Lin et al. J Thorac Dis. 2017 Sep.
No abstract available

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neural mechanisms underlying dreams. (A) Brain region contrast of dreaming experience vs. no dreaming experience at the source level for low-frequency power (1–4 Hz) and high-frequency power (20–50 Hz). Activation of the parieto-occipital region can accurately predict the occurrence of dreams; (B) despite the substantial diversity between REM and NREM sleep, no absolute state specificity of dream generation has been identified. Dreams can occur during any sleep stage (REM and NREM), albeit less often during NREM sleep; (C) preliminary evidence of deciphering dream content. The processing of a human face during the waking state reactivates the fusiform face area (FFA), the involvement of which in face perception has been well-documented. Activation of the FFA also occurs during sleep, in which the participants reported a dream with faces. Despite the large difference between reality and dreaming, the “perception” of specific information during different states of consciousness reactivates specific brain regions. This evidence provides important inspiration for future studies to solve the paradox of Schrodinger’s cat (i.e., deciphering the content of dreams without interrupting them). REM, rapid eye movement; NREM, non-rapid eye movement.
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Comment on

  • The neural correlates of dreaming.
    Siclari F, Baird B, Perogamvros L, Bernardi G, LaRocque JJ, Riedner B, Boly M, Postle BR, Tononi G. Siclari F, et al. Nat Neurosci. 2017 Jun;20(6):872-878. doi: 10.1038/nn.4545. Epub 2017 Apr 10. Nat Neurosci. 2017. PMID: 28394322 Free PMC article.

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