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Scientific Reports May 2023The link between dreams and creativity has been a topic of intense speculation. Recent scientific findings suggest that sleep onset (known as N1) may be an ideal brain...
The link between dreams and creativity has been a topic of intense speculation. Recent scientific findings suggest that sleep onset (known as N1) may be an ideal brain state for creative ideation. However, the specific link between N1 dream content and creativity has remained unclear. To investigate the contribution of N1 dream content to creative performance, we administered targeted dream incubation (a protocol that presents auditory cues at sleep onset to introduce specific themes into dreams) and collected dream reports to measure incorporation of the selected theme into dream content. We then assessed creative performance using a set of three theme-related creativity tasks. Our findings show enhanced creative performance and greater semantic distance in task responses following a period of N1 sleep as compared to wake, corroborating recent work identifying N1 as a creative sweet spot and offering novel evidence for N1 enabling a cognitive state with greater associative divergence. We further demonstrate that successful N1 dream incubation enhances creative performance more than N1 sleep alone. To our knowledge, this is the first controlled experiment investigating a direct role of incubating dream content in the enhancement of creative performance.
Topics: Dreams; Sleep; Brain; Creativity; Sleep Stages
PubMed: 37188795
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31361-w -
Psychologie & Neuropsychiatrie Du... Jun 2010Although most of scientific knowledge in dream research is based on young adult studies, this article provides a review of the effects of normal and pathological aging... (Review)
Review
Although most of scientific knowledge in dream research is based on young adult studies, this article provides a review of the effects of normal and pathological aging on dream psychology. It starts with preliminary comments about epistemological and methodological principles of dream research, its singularities in aged persons, and the modifications of sleep physiology with age. The whole literature agrees that dream recall progressively decreases from the beginning of adulthood - not in old age - and that dream reports become less intense, perceptually and emotionally. This evolution occurs faster in men than women, with gender differences in the content of dreams. The chronological modifications could be explained partly by changes in lifestyle and attitude towards dreams in early adulthood, but mainly by modifications of sleep physiology, particularly the decrease and qualitative changes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Dreams have usually little subjective importance in the mental life of aged persons. However, working with dreams can be a valuable tool for psychotherapy in the aged. According to the few existing data, patients suffering degenerative dementia dream much less than healthy aged persons. In Alzheimer's disease, this could be linked to the decrease of REM sleep, and atrophy of associative sensory areas of the cerebral cortex. Most studied aspects of dreaming in degenerative cognitive disorders are REM sleep behavior disorders, and nightmares induced by cholinesterase inhibitors. More studies are needed to better characterize the evolution of dreams with age, particularly studies performed in sleep laboratory.
Topics: Aged; Aging; Cognition Disorders; Dementia; Dreams; Humans; Sleep Stages
PubMed: 20525540
DOI: 10.1684/pnv.2010.0209 -
Tijdschrift Voor Psychiatrie 2007The dream has always been of interest to psychiatrists. It can assist with the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The dream has always been of interest to psychiatrists. It can assist with the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders.
AIM
To find out whether the dream is regarded as meaningful in modern psychiatry and to discover how dreams can be used by psychiatrists in clinical practice.
METHOD
Initially, psychoanalytic monographs on the subject of dreams were read thoroughly. This is followed by a literature search in PubMed and PEPWeb on the basis of the search terms 'dream', 'dreams' and 'dreaming'. results There has been considerable interest in dreams in the psychiatric literature published in the last few decades. Neuroscientific data seem to confirm Freud's wish-fulfilling theory. The dream plays a role in the consolidation of memory. It seems reasonable that psychopathological diagnosis should take the content of dreams into account.
CONCLUSION
Not only is the dream a fascinating subject for research, it is also useful in the diagnosis and treatment of a number of psychiatric disorders.
Topics: Dreams; Humans; Mental Disorders; Psychoanalysis; Psychoanalytic Interpretation; Psychoanalytic Theory
PubMed: 18175289
DOI: No ID Found -
Translational Psychiatry Feb 2024Nightmares are vivid, extended, and emotionally negative or negative dreams that awaken the dreamer. While sporadic nightmares and bad dreams are common and generally...
Nightmares are vivid, extended, and emotionally negative or negative dreams that awaken the dreamer. While sporadic nightmares and bad dreams are common and generally harmless, frequent nightmares often reflect underlying pathologies of emotional regulation. Indeed, insomnia, depression, anxiety, or alcohol use have been associated with nightmares in epidemiological and clinical studies. However, the connection between nightmares and their comorbidities are poorly understood. Our goal was to examine the genetic risk factors for nightmares and estimate correlation or causality between nightmares and comorbidities. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 45,255 individuals using a questionnaire-based assessment on the frequency of nightmares during the past month and genome-wide genotyping data. While the GWAS did not reveal individual risk variants, heritability was estimated at 5%. In addition, the genetic correlation analysis showed a robust correlation (rg > 0.4) of nightmares with anxiety (rg = 0.671, p = 7.507e-06), depressive (rg = 0.562, p = 1.282e-07) and posttraumatic stress disorders (rg = 0.4083, p = 0.0152), and personality trait neuroticism (rg = 0.667, p = 4.516e-07). Furthermore, Mendelian randomization suggested causality from insomnia to nightmares (beta = 0.027, p = 0.0002). Our findings suggest that nightmares share genetic background with psychiatric traits and that insomnia may increase an individual's liability to experience frequent nightmares. Given the significant correlations with psychiatric and psychological traits, it is essential to grow awareness of how nightmares affect health and disease and systematically collect information about nightmares, especially from clinical samples and larger cohorts.
Topics: Humans; Dreams; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Genome-Wide Association Study; Anxiety Disorders; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38413574
DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02637-6 -
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine :... Mar 2021This study aimed to examine psychometric properties of the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) in individuals aged between 18 and 39.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to examine psychometric properties of the Disturbing Dream and Nightmare Severity Index (DDNSI) in individuals aged between 18 and 39.
METHODS
All participants (n = 674) were asked to complete the DDNSI, including the modified Nightmare Effects Survey. Additionally, 109 participants were tested for test-retest reliability after 3 months. Among our sample, 229 (33.9%) reported having at least 1 nightmare per month.
RESULTS
Internal consistency was evaluated for the total sample (Cronbach's α = .920) and separately for individuals reporting more than once per month (Cronbach's α = .755). Test-retest reliability after 3 months was .705. Convergent validity of the DDNSI with Nightmare Effects Survey was also satisfactory (r = .638, P < .001). Finally, exploratory factor analysis was conducted to explore the construct of the DDNSI, and results indicated that it consisted of 2 factors, nightmare frequency and nightmare distress [χ²(df) = 2.241(1) ∆χ² (∆df) = 155.575(4), Tucker-Lewis incremental fit index = .980, root mean square error of approximation (90% confidence interval) = .074 (0, .208), standardized root-mean-square residual = .011].
CONCLUSIONS
The DDNSI is a reliable measure of nightmare severity that can be used in various settings.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Dreams; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Humans; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Republic of Korea; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 33146123
DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.8974 -
Journal of Sleep Research Feb 2019Collecting dream reports typically requires waking subjects up from their sleep-a method that has been used to study the relationship between dreams and memory...
Collecting dream reports typically requires waking subjects up from their sleep-a method that has been used to study the relationship between dreams and memory consolidation. However, it is unclear whether these awakenings influence sleep-associated memory consolidation processes. Furthermore, it is unclear how the incorporation of the learning task into dreams is related to memory consolidation. In this study we compared memory performance in a word-picture association learning task after a night with and without awakenings in 22 young and healthy participants. We then examined if the stimuli from the learning task are successfully incorporated into dreams, and if this incorporation is related to the task performance the next morning. We show that while the awakenings impaired both subjective and objective sleep quality, they did not affect sleep-associated memory consolidation. When dreams were collected during the night by awakenings, memories of the learning task were successfully incorporated into dreams. When dreams were collected in the morning, no incorporations were detected. Task incorporation into non-rapid eye movement sleep dreams, but not rapid eye movement sleep dreams positively predicted memory performance the next morning. We conclude that the method of awakenings to collect dream reports is suitable and necessary for dream and memory studies. Furthermore, our study suggests that dreams in non-rapid eye movement rather than rapid eye movement sleep might be related to processes of memory consolidation during sleep.
Topics: Adult; Dreams; Female; Humans; Male; Memory Consolidation; Polysomnography; Sleep; Young Adult
PubMed: 30091298
DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12754 -
Consciousness and Cognition Aug 2020Lucid dreaming is a unique phenomenon with potential applications for therapeutic interventions. Few studies have investigated the effects of lucidity on an individual's...
Lucid dreaming is a unique phenomenon with potential applications for therapeutic interventions. Few studies have investigated the effects of lucidity on an individual's waking mood, which could have valuable implications for improving psychological wellbeing. The current experiment aims to investigate whether the experience of lucidity enhances positive waking mood, and whether lucidity is associated with dream emotional content and subjective sleep quality. 20 participants were asked to complete lucid dream induction techniques along with an online dream diary for one week, which featured a 19-item lucidity questionnaire, and subjective ratings of sleep quality, dream emotional content, and waking mood. Results indicated that higher lucidity was associated with more positive dream content and elevated positive waking mood the next day, although there was no relationship with sleep quality. The results of the research and suggestions for future investigations, such as the need for longitudinal studies of lucidity and mood, are discussed.
Topics: Adult; Affect; Dreams; Female; Humans; Male; Sleep, REM; Young Adult
PubMed: 32535498
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102971 -
American Journal of Physiology.... Dec 2021Dreams may be recalled after awakening from sleep following a defined electroencephalographic pattern that involves local decreases in low-frequency activity in the...
Dreams may be recalled after awakening from sleep following a defined electroencephalographic pattern that involves local decreases in low-frequency activity in the posterior cortical regions. Although a dreaming experience implies bodily changes at many organ, system, and timescale levels, the entity and causal role of such peripheral changes in a conscious dream experience are unknown. We performed a comprehensive, causal, multivariate analysis of physiological signals acquired during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep at night, including high-density electroencephalography and peripheral dynamics including electrocardiography and blood pressure. In this preliminary study, we investigated multiple recalls and nonrecalls of dream experiences using data from nine healthy volunteers. The aim was not only to investigate the changes in central and autonomic dynamics associated with dream recalls and nonrecalls, but also to characterize the central-peripheral dynamical and (causal) directional interactions, and the temporal relations of the related arousals upon awakening. We uncovered a brain-body network that drives a conscious dreaming experience that acts with specific interaction and time delays. Such a network is sustained by the blood pressure dynamics and the increasing functional information transfer from the neural heartbeat regulation to the brain. We conclude that bodily changes play a crucial and causative role in a conscious dream experience during REM sleep.
Topics: Adult; Autonomic Nervous System; Blood Pressure; Blood Pressure Determination; Brain; Consciousness; Dreams; Electrocardiography; Electroencephalography; Female; Heart; Heart Rate; Humans; Male; Mental Recall; Sleep, REM; Time Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 34704848
DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00306.2020 -
Epilepsia Nov 2011To evaluate morning dream recall frequency and content in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
PURPOSE
To evaluate morning dream recall frequency and content in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).
METHODS
Fifty-two patients with pharmacoresistant TLE submitted to a written dream diary during five consecutive days and continuous video-electroencephalographic (video-EEG) monitoring. A matched control group of 41 healthy subjects completed the same diary at home. The number of recalled dreams (including long dreams) and nonrecalled dream mentation were collected, and the Dream Recall Rate (DRR) was calculated. Hall and Van de Castle dream content analysis was performed.
KEY FINDINGS
Greater than 70% of patients with TLE (37 of 52) recall their dreams, but DRR rate in these patients is lower than in controls (p ≤ 0.001). Dream recall does not appear to be influenced by the presence of neuropsychological deficits nor seizure frequency. In dreams descriptions, TLE patients (vs. controls) have a higher percentage of familiarity in settings and fewer dreams with at least one success.
SIGNIFICANCE
Onirical activity of patients with TLE is different from that of healthy subjects. Our results support the role of mesial and neocortical temporal structures in dream experience. The selective activation of dysfunctional mesial structures may be responsible for some of the observed variability. However, dream content changes can also mirror social and psychological comorbidities of patients with epilepsy.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Case-Control Studies; Dreams; Electroencephalography; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Female; Humans; Male; Medical Records; Mental Recall; Middle Aged; Monitoring, Physiologic; Seizures; Young Adult
PubMed: 22003885
DOI: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2011.03290.x -
Schizophrenia Bulletin Jan 2011
Topics: Consciousness; Dreams; Hallucinations; Humans; Models, Psychological; Thinking
PubMed: 20929966
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbq115