Why do we dream? Part 2

Wired to be Weird

A snapshot of a video that shows a man who appears to be very competently & leisurely smoking a cigarette, despite being very deeply asleep. From Blumberg & Plumeau, 2015. Check out the video here

We discuss a wide range of topics in this episode. Topics include the neural architecture that research suggests underlies dreams, and how quick jerky motions in sleep may be critical to proper development of the nervous system and how these movements can transform into sleep walking. We also discuss lucid dreaming, and techniques to increase the frequency of lucid dreams - as well as research devoted to developing technology that'll enable us to record our dreams as movies.

Literature referenced:

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2. Dresler M, Wehrle R, Spoormaker VI, Steiger A, Holsboer F, Czisch M, Hobson JA. Neural correlates of insight in dreaming and psychosis. Sleep Med Rev. 2015 Apr;20:92-9. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.06.004. Epub 2014 Jun 25. Review. PubMed PMID: 25092021.
3. Blumberg MS, Plumeau AM. A new view of "dream enactment" in REM sleep behavior disorder. Sleep Med Rev. 2015 Dec 17;30:34-42. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2015.12.002. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 26802823; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4912466.
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5. Dresler M, Wehrle R, Spoormaker VI, Steiger A, Holsboer F, Czisch M, Hobson JA. Neural correlates of insight in dreaming and psychosis. Sleep Med Rev. 2015 Apr;20:92-9. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2014.06.004. Epub 2014 Jun 25. Review. PubMed PMID: 25092021.
6. Smith K. Brain decoding: Reading minds. Nature. 2013 Oct 24;502(7472):428-30. doi: 10.1038/502428a. PubMed PMID: 24153277.
7. 2016 Daniel Oldis - Can we turn our dreams into watchable movies (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dreamscloud/can-we-turn-our-dreams-in_b_9152612.html)
8. Aspy DJ. Is dream recall underestimated by retrospective measures and enhanced by keeping a logbook? An empirical investigation. Conscious Cogn. 2016 May;42:181-203. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.03.015. Epub 2016 Mar 26. PubMed PMID: 27023923.
9. Voss U, Holzmann R, Hobson A, Paulus W, Koppehele-Gossel J, Klimke A, Nitsche MA. Induction of self awareness in dreams through frontal low current stimulation of gamma activity. Nat Neurosci. 2014 Jun;17(6):810-2. doi: 10.1038/nn.3719. Epub 2014 May 11. PubMed PMID: 24816141.
10. Stumbrys T, Erlacher D, Schädlich M, Schredl M. Induction of lucid dreams: a systematic review of evidence. Conscious Cogn. 2012 Sep;21(3):1456-75. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2012.07.003. Epub 2012 Jul 28. Review. PubMed PMID: 22841958.
11. Bray N. Sleep: Inducing lucid dreams. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2014 Jul;15(7):428. doi: 10.1038/nrn3769. Epub 2014 May 29. PubMed PMID: 24871898.