Sleep and Dreaming Exam 3

What evidence does the text provide to suggest that REM sleep is biologically important for mammals?

it always involves intense brain self-activation, occurs in all mammalian species, is genetically controlled, is highly conserved across species, and varies quantitatively with brain development stages.

According to Rodolfo Llinas, what fundamental aspect of self-hood is contributed by endogenous motility, and how do dreams relate to this concept?

sense of agency, which is the essence of self-hood

How do the brain's aminergic and cholinergic systems interact during waking and sleep, particularly concerning thermoregulation?

During waking, aminergic systems (norepinephrine, serotonin) are active and crucial for thermoregulation. In sleep, particularly REM sleep, these aminergic systems are turned off, making thermoregulation impossible. Instead, cholinergic systems activate the brain, allowing for energy conservation and restoration of core regulatory systems.

What is the "epiphenomenon" view of dreaming, as suggested by Owen Flanagan?

Owen Flanagan's "epiphenomenon" view suggests that dreaming, specifically the conscious experience and recall of dreams, is a causal occurrence or functionally insignificant phenomenon. This means it may have no direct function in itself, even if the underlying brain processes do.

Beyond being an epiphenomenon, what are two proposed functions of the brain processes underlying dreams?

reordering information and consolidating memories (getting rid of obsolete ones, updating, incorporating new experiences

Explain how PET scans visualize regional brain activation, connecting it to neuronal activity and blood flow.

PET scans visualize regional brain activation by detecting differences in tissue density, which are altered by blood flow. When neurons become more active, they require more oxygen, leading to increased blood flow to that region, which the scans then make "visible."

Which brain region's activation is associated with the exaggerated hallucinations often experienced in dreams?

multimodal regions of the brain, specifically the cortical areas of the parietal lobe

What area of the brain shows decreased activation in REM sleep, and what cognitive functions does this deactivation explain in dreaming?

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; diminished self-awareness, poor reality testing, defective logic, and the inability to maintain directed thought

How do neurochemical changes during REM sleep, specifically concerning noradrenaline and serotonin, relate to the cognitive deficiencies observed in dreams?

The lack of noradrenaline and serotonin in the REM sleep-activated brain is associated with diminished psychological functions in dreaming. These two chemicals are known to be necessary for attention, learning, and memory, thus explaining the corresponding deficiencies in dreams like poor memory and active reasoning.

According to the text, what two specific brain regions, when damaged by stroke, can lead to a complete loss of dreaming?

sensory cortex or deep frontal white matter of the brain

How did studies on temporal lobe epilepsy contribute to our understanding of dream-like states, and what is the connection to REM sleep?

they showed that direct electrical stimulation of this area could produce "dreamy states" resembling formal dream features like hallucinations and hyperemotionality

Explain the "binding problem" in the context of conscious unity. What two mechanisms are proposed to achieve binding, and over what timescales do they operate?

how disparate brain activities and information sources are seamlessly integrated into a unified conscious experience; binding via synchronicity occurs in milliseconds to seconds, while binding via chemical modulation (neuromodulation) occurs over minutes to hours.

What is the "hard problem" in dream science?

how synchronous and chemically coherent activation of brain cells results in subjective conscious experience (qualia)

List three ways dream consciousness differs from waking consciousness according to Table 5, and briefly explain their neurobiological basis.

• Sensation/Perception: Almost entirely internally generated due to closed input-output gates and self-activation of central brain representations.

• Attention: Weak and seized by dream events, partly due to parasitic percepts and deactivation of the frontal cortex.

• Emotion/Instinct: Exaggerated/enhanced due to activation of the limbic brain (amygdala) in REM sleep, corresponding to a release from waking inhibition.

• Thought/Orientation: Illogical/severely deficient, impaired by disabled aminergic systems and deactivation of memory systems, leading to poor analysis and organization.

• Volition/Action: Weak volition and constant fictitious animation, due to impaired working memory and self-activation of movement patterns without actual physical action.

• Narration: Highly confabulatory, as the brain tries to integrate disparate elements into a coherent plot, often relying on language from waking.

What was the "fatal flaw" in Freud's dream theory that modern neuroscience refutes, and why is this idea considered erroneous?

the assumption of disguise and censorship; he believed unconscious wishes were intentionally hidden and distorted in dreams

Describe the "dream splicing experiment." What disturbing conclusion did it lead to regarding human perception of causality?

• Taking dream reports, cutting them at scene shifts, and then reassembling them either as reported or as hybrids from different dreams

• Even trained psychoanalysts could not distinguish original from spliced dreams, revealing the human mind's inherent tendency to project causal narrative structure onto events, even when no such causality exists.

At what age do dreams start looking more like adult dreams and why?

age 3 because of language acquisition

At what age are dreams essentially fully formed and have the same formal characteristics as adult dreams?

7

Which part of the brain accounts for infant dreaming and why?

brain stem because it is the first part of the brain to form

The cholinerginic system of the brain stem uses ________ to drive internal activation during sleep

acetylcholine

The aminergenic system uses ________ and __________ regulate wakefulness

serotonin, norepinephrine

What system in the brain is responsible for decreasing the amount of REM sleep an infant gets as they develop?

aminergenic

There is a ____% decrease in REM from infant to adult

a) 50

b) 100

c) 200

d) 400

400

Which part of the brain is responsible for taking sensory information from dreams and creating a holistic narrative?

parietal lobe

Which part of the brain activates REM sleep?

the cholinergenic system in the brain stem (specifically the pontine tegmentum)

Which part of the brain is responsible for mediating emotion and motivating behavior in dreams?

limbic forebrain

Which part of the brain is increasingly activated during REM and is responsible for language processing, cognition, and spatial fluidity in dreams?

supramarginal gyrus in the parietal lobe

Which part of the brain has decreased activity during REM sleep?

dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

The ______ ________ model surmises that input is processed from the outside in, bottom-up

sequential processing

The ________ approach acknowledges that the mind is made up of many areas that each control specific functions

modular

The idea of ________ refers to the fast binding of different sensations to create a unified perception

synchronicity

________ ________ is the theory that, over a span of hours or days, chemically coded neurons in the brain stem release neuromodulators that help us interpret our consciousness

chemical modulation

________ is the word used by philosophers to describe one’s perception and subjective experience

qualia

Which report collector demographics change someone’s dream report?

sex, age, status

Dream reports from a _____ setting are more bland than reports from a ______ setting

lab, home

What percentage of people reported mentation during REM sleep?

80-85%

What percentage of people reported mentation during N1-N2 sleep?

75%

What percentage of people reported mentation during N3 (slow wave) sleep?

50%

Which characteristics of a dream are analyzed in a dream report?

number of words, number of characters (+demographics & classification), levels of bizarreness, settings, number of plot changes, emotional rating

The ______ _______ claims that the content of dreams should be continuous with waking thoughts, concerns, and experiences

continuity hypothesis

Why can pregnant people recall dreams better than non-pregnant people?

they have an increase in wakings during their sleep

What characteristics are seen in dreams in people with depression?

dreams are shorter, past-oriented, masochistic, bland

Describe a study that found how trauma influences dreams

A study of San Francisco college students telling dreams right after they occur (dream journals) following a big trauma (earthquake)

Students who experienced the trauma had 2x as many nightmares

§  40% reported earthquake nightmares

Describe a study that used incorporation to see if waking content influences our dreams

people that wore red glasses, regardless of if they were told they’d see more green, led to increased red in their dream

Describe how scientists used the game Tetris to test the continuity hypothesis

• People played Tetris during the day, and then were asked to report their dreams

• Tetris did show up in most dreamers (the shape of the blocks, moving the blocks, but notably no outside stuff like screen size or device)

• Results suggested sensory input during wakeful hours can activate older, strongly associated memories

• People with hippocampus damage dreamt about Tetris but did not remember what it was; they had procedural memory but not declarative

______ agreed with Freud’s idea that dreams express the unconscious, but also believed in the collective unconscious and that dreams helped restore psychological balance

Jung

Kramer found that reduction in ______ is correlated to dream content, consistent with the mood regulatory hypothesis

unhappiness

The _____ _______ model refers to the idea that dreams don’t have meaning, they are simply electrical impulses landing on different parts of the cortex

activation synthesis

Describe a study that looked at lucid dreaming

In the Dement lab at Stanford, they tested lucid dreaming by creating eye movement signals to indicate when someone believed they were lucid dreaming; they controlled for lying and found the first test to be 100% accurate

1.     True or False: Global brain activation in REM accounts for hallucinatory imagery in the brain during dreaming.

False

1.     How does collecting dream reports in the Sleep Lab differ from dream reports in self-written dream journals?

 

a.     It increases recall

b.    It increases the naturalism of the dream recalled

c.     It increases the length in which participants remember their dreams

d.    Both A and B

e.     All of the above

d.    Both A and B

1.     The _______ is a home-based monitor that allows scientists to collect dream reports more specifically in each stage of sleep.

Nightcap

1.     Who is responsible for the psychoanalytic model of analyzing dreams?

a.     Abraham Maslow

b.    Karl Marx

c.     Sigmund Freud

d.    Carl Jung

c.     Sigmund Freud

1.     Dreaming is a _______ state.

a.     Hyperassociative

b.    Hypoassociative

c.     Hypervigilant

d.    Hypovigilant

a.     Hyperassociative

1.     _____-_____ _________ refers to the concept that every form of mental activity has a similar form of brain activity

a.     Mental-cognitive isomorphism

b.    Mental-perceptive isomorphism

c.     Brain-mind isomorphism

d.    Cognitive-mind isomorphism

c.     Brain-mind isomorphism

1.     Which psychiatrist is credited with creating the first electroencephalogram?

a.     Adolf Berger

b.    Ivan Pavlov

c.     Charles Sherrington

d.    Thomas Graham Brown

a.     Adolf Berger

1.     What is the function of dreaming?

a.     To reflect the mental and emotional states one experiences during wakeful hours

b.    To act as a filler task for the brain while it restores itself at night

c.     To keep the prefrontal cortex and limbic system active at night

d.    Dreaming does not have a known function

d.    Dreaming does not have a known function

1.     In the 1900s, which animal, that also has periods of brain activation and REM in their sleep, was used by multiple types of scientists to support brain activation research?

a.     Monkeys

b.    Cats

c.     Rats

d.    Fish

b.    Cats

1.     REM sleep is organized by which part of the brain?

a.     Limbic system

b.    Prefrontal cortex

c.     Neocortex

d.    Brain stem

d.    Brain stem

1.     Which area of the brain notably shows brain waves during REM sleep that are markedly reduced during wake hours?

a.     Pons

b.    Thalamus

c.     Occipital cortex

d.    Both A and B

e.     All of the above

e.     All of the above

1.     ______ and ________ are neurotransmitters that reduce their output by half in NREM sleep, and completely shut off in REM sleep.

Norepinephrine, serotonin

1.     _______ is active in wake and sleep states and help to mediate EEG activation.

Acetylcholine

1. What major shift helped scientists develop a more reliable, scientific understanding of dreaming? 

2. Focusing on symbolic interpretations of dream content 

3. Asking people to guess what their dreams meant 

4. Analyzing the formal features of dreams like perception, thought, and emotion 

5. Trying to control what people dream about in sleep labs 

3. Analyzing the formal features of dreams like perception, thought, and emotion 

3. Which of the following best explains why REM dreams are often vivid, emotional, and bizarre? 

1. Because REM involves selective activation of emotion/perception areas and deactivation of logic/memory areas 

2. Because the entire brain is fully active during REM sleep 

3. Because only the memory centers are active during REM sleep 

4. Because REM sleep is a time when the brain is resting and not processing information 

1. Because REM involves selective activation of emotion/perception areas and deactivation of logic/memory areas 

9. What does the concept of brain-mind isomorphism suggest about dreaming? 

1. Dreams are entirely random and cannot be scientifically studied 

2. Patterns in dreaming correspond to identifiable patterns of brain activity during sleep 

3. Every mental experience during dreaming has a symbolic meaning that must be interpreted 

4. The brain shuts down completely during dreaming, making interpretation impossible 

2. Patterns in dreaming correspond to identifiable patterns of brain activity during sleep 

What major paradigm shift in dream research was caused by the discovery of brain activation during sleep? 

1. The shift from studying dream content to studying the brain-based form of dreaming 

2. The idea that dreams are caused only by external stimuli 

3. The belief that dreaming occurs only in the moments just before waking 

4. The focus on dream interpretation as a method to predict the future 

1. The shift from studying dream content to studying the brain-based form of dreaming 

12. How was brain activation during sleep first scientifically discovered? 

1. By using direct observation of people dreaming in the early 1900s 

2. By measuring muscle tone only during sleep stages I and II  

3. Through the combination of EEG (brain waves) and EOG (eye movement) recordings by Aserinsky and Kleitman in 1953, identifying REM sleep 

4. By analyzing dream content and interpreting symbols 

3. Through the combination of EEG (brain waves) and EOG (eye movement) recordings by Aserinsky and Kleitman in 1953, identifying REM sleep 

13. Who discovered REM sleep and helped establish the EEG sleep cycle? 

1. Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung 

2. Louis Pasteur and Wilhelm Wundt 

3. Michel Jouvet and François Michel 

4. Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman 

4. Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman 

17. Why was the study of REM sleep in cats a major breakthrough for understanding brain activation during sleep? 

1. It proved that only humans experience REM sleep and dreaming 

2. It provided a model to study the cellular and molecular basis of REM sleep without needing verbal reports 

3. It showed that dreaming requires conscious awareness 

4. It confirmed that REM sleep occurs only in the cerebral cortex 

2. It provided a model to study the cellular and molecular basis of REM sleep without needing verbal reports 

19. What role do brainstem neuromodulatory neurons (e.g., those releasing noradrenaline and serotonin) play in the brain during REM sleep? 

1. They increase their activity, causing heightened attention and memory recall 

2. They shut off completely, allowing the brain to switch to an internally focused state without waking-like thought processes 

3. They maintain steady activity similar to waking, supporting conscious reflection during dreams 

4. They activate spinal motor neurons to produce muscle movements during REM 

2. They shut off completely, allowing the brain to switch to an internally focused state without waking-like thought processes 

20. Which of the following best describes how brain state changes during REM sleep? 

1. Brain state changes gradually and differently across neurons, influencing whether perceptions are externally or internally driven 

2. The brain instantly switches from waking to dreaming with all neurons changing simultaneously 

3. Neuromodulatory systems become inactive, causing total shutdown of all brain activity during REM 

4. Dreaming occurs only when external stimuli are processed more strongly than internal stimuli 

1. Brain state changes gradually and differently across neurons, influencing whether perceptions are externally or internally driven 

21. What did chemical microstimulation experiments reveal about the role of acetylcholine in REM sleep? 

1. Acetylcholine inhibits REM sleep and prevents dreaming 

2. Acetylcholine has no effect on brain activation during sleep 

3. Acetylcholine triggers and enhances REM sleep by activating specific brainstem areas like the pons 

4. Acetylcholine primarily increases muscle tone during REM sleep

3. Acetylcholine triggers and enhances REM sleep by activating specific brainstem areas like the pons 

2. What is the primary function of REM sleep in fetuses and newborns, according to current developmental neuroscience? 

1. To provide vivid dreams that fulfill unconscious desires 

2. To give the baby’s body time to rest after constant movement 

3. To allow the brain to self-organize behavior and support the development of subjectivity and selfhood 

4. To mimic the sleep patterns of adults and promote circadian rhythm development 

3. To allow the brain to self-organize behavior and support the development of subjectivity and selfhood 

4. How does brain activation during REM sleep differ from brain activation during waking? 

1. REM sleep uses the same aminergic systems as waking to conserve energy. 

2. Waking brain activity depends on cholinergic systems, which support thermoregulation and energy storage. 

3. The brain is inactive during REM sleep to prevent energy loss and overheating. 

4. REM sleep activates the brain through cholinergic systems, which are energy-conserving and restorative. 

4. REM sleep activates the brain through cholinergic systems, which are energy-conserving and restorative. 

6. What does brain imaging reveal about brain activity during REM sleep compared to waking? 

1. Increased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, supporting directed thought and working memory. 

2. Decreased activation in limbic regions associated with emotion and motivation. 

3. Increased activation in multimodal association areas and limbic regions, leading to intense hallucinations and emotions, alongside decreased activation in prefrontal areas involved in logical thinking and self-reflection. 

4. Uniform brain activation across all regions similar to waking. 

3. Increased activation in multimodal association areas and limbic regions, leading to intense hallucinations and emotions, alongside decreased activation in prefrontal areas involved in logical thinking and self-reflection. 

7. Which brain regions, when damaged by stroke, are associated with a complete loss of dreaming? 

1. Multimodal sensory cortex (part of the parietal cortex) and deep frontal white matter 

2. Primary visual cortex and temporal lobe 

3. Occipital lobe’s primary processing zones 

4. Hippocampus and amygdala 

1. Multimodal sensory cortex (part of the parietal cortex) and deep frontal white matter 

9. What is the key idea explaining how consciousness and subjective experience (qualia) arise in the brain? 

1. Consciousness is a mystical property unrelated to brain activity. 

2. Consciousness only exists during waking and not during dreaming. 

3. Consciousness is solely determined by genetic factors without influence from experience. 

4. Consciousness arises from recursive neuronal activation patterns representing the world, awareness of the world, and awareness of that awareness. 

4. Consciousness arises from recursive neuronal activation patterns representing the world, awareness of the world, and awareness of that awareness. 

11. What is a key reason why dream consciousness feels real despite impaired memory and logic? 

1. Because dreams rely entirely on external sensory input. 

2. Because the brain creates a vivid virtual reality through self-activation of sensory and emotional brain areas. 

3. Because the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is highly active during dreaming. 

4. Because voluntary movement control is increased during REM sleep. 

2. Because the brain creates a vivid virtual reality through self-activation of sensory and emotional brain areas. 

1. What is one of the main challenges in scientifically studying dreams?

A) Dreams can be recorded using neuroimaging
B) Participants often exaggerate their dream reports
C) Dream recall is often incomplete and unverifiable
D) Most dreams occur in waking states

C) Dream recall is often incomplete and unverifiable

According to the continuity hypothesis, which of the following experiences is most likely to influence dream content?

A) Time of day
B) Level of hunger
C) Ongoing life events such as trauma or pregnancy
D) Eye movement during REM

C) Ongoing life events such as trauma or pregnancy

What was Rosalind Cartwright’s main claim in the mood regulation hypothesis?

A) Dreams have no emotional value
B) Dreaming suppresses REM to regulate mood
C) Dreams help process and regulate negative mood states
D) Dreams originate from the unconscious mind

C) Dreams help process and regulate negative mood states

What are the three implications Cartwright suggested would support her mood regulation theory?

A) Better dream recall, more REM, and less anxiety
B) REM deprivation reduces mood, dream content matches mood, and mood improves after dreaming
C) Dream bizarreness increases, fewer nightmares, and shorter REM periods
D) Decreased limbic activity, better cognition, and longer SWS

B) REM deprivation reduces mood, dream content matches mood, and mood improves after dreaming

According to Freud, what are the three parts of the personality involved in dreams?

A) Ego, shadow, self
B) Conscious, subconscious, and collective unconscious
C) Id, ego, and superego
D) Alpha, beta, and gamma

C) Id, ego, and superego

What was a major critique modern neuroscience made about Freud's dream theory?

A) Dreams only reflect positive emotions
B) Freud failed to account for sleep stages
C) The idea of disguise and censorship is misleading and incorrect
D) Freud ignored brain chemistry entirely

C) The idea of disguise and censorship is misleading and incorrect

According to the Activation-Synthesis Model (ASM) by Hobson and McCarley, dreams result from:

A) The unconscious processing of sexual desires
B) A symbolic language meant to resolve inner conflict
C) Random brainstem activation during REM sleep
D) Environmental stimuli during sleep

C) Random brainstem activation during REM sleep

What was the primary revision made in the AIM model compared to the ASM?

A) It added a focus on trauma
B) It replaced all elements of Freud’s theory
C) It incorporated information processing and cognitive state
D) It emphasized the symbolic content of dreams

C) It incorporated information processing and cognitive state

What is one way Freud, Jung, and the ASM all explain the bizarreness of dreams?

A) Repression of forbidden memories
B) Random firing of neurons
C) Altered cognitive states or weakened logical control during REM
D) Misfiring of the motor cortex

C) Altered cognitive states or weakened logical control during REM

Which EEG pattern is most commonly associated with lucid dreaming?

A) Delta waves
B) Mixed REM activity with waking-like frontal activation
C) Deep spindle bursts
D) Suppressed theta rhythms

B) Mixed REM activity with waking-like frontal activation

Which of the following is NOT a treatment for PTSD-related nightmares mentioned in class?

A) Lucid dreaming training
B) Imagery Rehearsal Therapy
C) EMDR
D) Exposure therapy with medication

D) Exposure therapy with medication

Which of these variables can significantly affect the quality and content of dream reports?

A) Sleep temperature
B) Time of night only
C) Who collects the report and how it's collected
D) Use of eye masks during sleep

C) Who collects the report and how it's collected

Which condition supports the continuity hypothesis through evidence of dream content reflecting waking experiences?

A) Lucid dreaming induction
B) Jet lag
C) Pregnancy-related dreams
D) REM rebound from sleep deprivation

C) Pregnancy-related dreams

How does Stickgold's Tetris experiment support Freud’s idea of unconscious thought processes?

A) Players fell asleep faster
B) Players dreamed of visual stimuli even when amnesic
C) Players had fewer dreams when REM was suppressed
D) Players reported more nightmares

B) Players dreamed of visual stimuli even when amnesic

According to Cartwright, which of the following is a critical reason why dreams may help with mood regulation?

A) Dreams use symbolic logic to alter perception
B) REM dreaming enhances serotonin production
C) Dreaming processes emotional experiences and leads to reappraisal
D) Dreaming blocks traumatic memory formation

C) Dreaming processes emotional experiences and leads to reappraisal

According to Jung, what replaces Freud’s id/ego/superego in his model of the personality?

A) Persona, ego, and collective unconscious
B) Conscious, unconscious, and subconscious
C) Superego, anima, and cognition
D) Repression, intuition, and perception

A) Persona, ego, and collective unconscious

What causes anxiety in Jung’s theory of dreams?

A) Internal conflict among instincts
B) Suppressed sexual desire
C) Conflict between the conscious self and unmet potential in the unconscious
D) The threat of REM deprivation

C) Conflict between the conscious self and unmet potential in the unconscious

What was the major innovation that brain imaging like PET introduced into dream research?

A) It allowed researchers to wake people during REM
B) It replaced psychoanalysis in therapy
C) It revealed which brain regions activate or deactivate during REM sleep
D) It proved that dreams occur only in REM

C) It revealed which brain regions activate or deactivate during REM sleep

Why are dreams more emotional and bizarre than waking thought, according to neuroimaging data?

A) The hippocampus is completely inactive
B) The brainstem is hyperactivated
C) Emotion and sensory areas are more active while reasoning centers are less active
D) Dreams suppress serotonin, leading to hallucinations

C) Emotion and sensory areas are more active while reasoning centers are less active

According to the AIM model, what determines the "mode" of brain-mind interaction during dreaming?

A) Eye movement
B) Cortical inhibition
C) Neurotransmitter balance and level of information processing
D) Melatonin release

C) Neurotransmitter balance and level of information processing