Dream Research and PET Scans

[Guest guest]

Good Morning!

 

Dream Research and PET Scans

 

There has been a lot of research done on dreams and dreaming. The

research I focused on was the work done with the PET scan. (1) The

Positron Emissions Tornography have been used to measure various

rates of blood flow through the brain.

 

There is basically two major Phases in Sleep. NREM - non rapid eye

movement and REM - rapid eye movement. NREM sleep is the beginning of

the sleep cycle. In NREM, the average brain activity decreases -

proportionately the rate of blood flow decreases.

 

So areas such as the Reticular Activating System which is the area

involved in arousal and wakening, shuts down. Areas involved in

muscle movement shut down. But, regions involved in the consolidation

and retrieval of memory did not decrease in blood flow, but the

pathways that bring information to and from this region did shut

down, therefore isolating them metabolically.

 

About 90 minutes into our sleep pattern we experience REM sleep. REM

sleep is produced by the excretion of Acetylcholine in the Pons. (2)

Suddenly, the Brain Stem begins firing electrical impulses through

the brain. Heightening breath, heart rate and sexual arousal and

sends impulses through the cortical and subcortical regions. Some

regions of the brain's metabolic rates wind up being higher than when

we are awake.

 

An area of gray matter, located at the Occipito-Temporo-Parital

junction is activated. This is where the brain performs the highest

level of processing of perceptual information.

 

Our emotional brain - The Limbic System increases with blood flow and

our memory and sensory processes connected to simple vision and

hearing in the Diencephelon and Medulla increase but the Primary

Visual Cortex region in the Occipital Lobe did not show much of an

increase in blood flow. Normally, an increase in activity in the

lower areas cannot occur without an increase in the Primary Visual

Cortex.

 

But, in REM sleep, the brain will activate the lower areas and begin

integration of visual patterns. This is what is speculated to be the

make-up of imagery and symbols in our dreams. (3)

 

The Prefrontal Cortex, which is divided into four regions, plays a

central role in our self-discipline, gratification restrainment and

controlling one's impulses. This region is typically inactive during

REM sleep. except for one of the four regions. This is the deep white

matter of the frontal lobe with large fiber pathways which transmit

the chemical Neurotransmitter Dopamine from the Mid Brain to the

Frontal Cortex.

 

So with the Limbic emotional brain extremely active and the self-

disciplinary Prefrontal Cortex mostly inactive, it is believed to be

the reason why we have such disinhibiting dreams (4) such as flying,

falling and fantasies.

 

 

Dreams and the Brain Stem

 

In recent studies, the brain stem, the portion of the brain at the

base of the skull, is the originator of electrical impulses in which,

dreams are the result. The brain stem makes contact with the other

portions of the brain that control hearing, movement, vision and

memory. Several studies have implicated that the limbic portion of

the brain, which activates our emotions, may also receive impulses

from the brain stem. The brain stem contains cells that turn REM

sleep on and off. These studies have been based on the use of

Positron Emission Tomography (PET scans) of the brain.

 

Considering the brain as the main sorter of information, it tries

taking random information from both our conscious and subconscious

levels and attempts to impose patterns on the unpatterned stimuli.

 

" Making order out of chaos is a highly innate behavior " says Martin

Seligman, professor of psychiatry at the University of

Pennsylvania. " Humans are creatures of order " .

 

Dream analysist and scientist, Allan Hobson, along with a large

number of the population, believe that dreams do, in fact, " have

meaning and reveal truths about ourselves " .

 

The left brain, which controls the right side of the body, perceives

the world through the language of deductive reasoning and logic.

Analyzing all things in a linear sequence of cause and effect. The

left brain is responsible for speech, writing understanding

mathematics, numbers and language. The left brain reacts as though it

knows we are thinking, therefore, taking on the role of our conscious

thought.

 

The right brain, which controls the left side of the body, perceives

the world as the big picture. The overall aesthetics, our creativity,

metaphorical language and the way we register symbols is the job of

the right brain. The right brain seems to take on the role of our

unconscious thought. Dreams, which are symbolic in nature, are

created using the symbolic side of the right brain. But, it is the

left brain that seems to interpret these symbols of our dreams in an

analytical sense.

 

Often times, right brain oriented symbols in our dreams, from this

unconscious thought region, are called " thoughts from our higher

self. " Learning to pay attention to these symbols and interpreting

them on a conscious level, can be the first step in getting in touch

with our higher selves. By applying the symbolic language of dream

interpretation to our everyday lives, we maybe able to see further

into the connection between these dreams and seemingly random events.

 

By connecting these seemingly random events between the conscious

body and the subconscious mind, we can see how happenings that seem

accidental, maybe symbolic messages from our higher selves. This

connection between meaningful coincidence was noted by psychiatrist,

Carl Jung, which he called " synchronicity " .

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac

http://www.peacefulmind.com/dreams.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit

 

 

1. National Institute of Health - Allen Braun, PET Scan Research

2. Sleep, Dream and Dreaming - William J. Cromie Harvard Gazzette

3. Wild Dreams- Robert Sapolsky Discover Magazine April 2001

4. Wild Dreams- Robert Sapolsky Discover Magazine April 2001