Neuroscience
Several news organizations are publishing reports about a forthcoming paper in the Annals of Neurology concerning a case study about the loss of dreaming as a consequence of a stroke.
One of the authors of the report, Dr. Claudio L. Bassetti, is quoted in these published reports as stating, "How dreams are generated, and what purpose they might serve, are completely open questions at this point. These results describe for the first time in detail the extent of lesion necessary to produce loss of dreaming in the absence of other neurological deficits. As such, they offer a target for further study of the localization of dreaming."
Here is the abstract from Annals of Neurology:
M. Bischof & C.L. Bassetti. Total dream loss: A distinct neuropsychological dysfunction after bilateral PCA stroke.
Correspondence to Claudio L. Bassetti, Neurologische Poliklinik, Universitatsspital, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
The term Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome (CWS) denotes dream loss following focal brain damage. We report the first case of CWS, in whom neuropsychological functions, extension of the underlying lesion, and sleep architecture changes were assessed. A 73-year-old woman reported a total dream loss after acute, bilateral occipital artery infarction (including the right inferior lingual gyrus), which lasted for over 3 months. In the absence of sleep-wake complaints and (other) neuropsychological deficits, polysomnography demonstrated an essentially normal sleep architecture with preservation of REM sleep. Dreaming was denied also after repeated awakenings from REM sleep. This observation suggests that CWS (1) can represent a distinct and isolated neuropsychological manifestation of deep occipital lobe damage, and (2) may occur in the absence of detectable REM sleep abnormalities.
(DOI) 10.1002/ana.20246
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Neuroscience
Dreaming
Several news organizations are publishing reports about a forthcoming paper in the Annals of Neurology concerning a case study about the loss of dreaming as a consequence of a stroke.
One of the authors of the report, Dr. Claudio L. Bassetti, is quoted in these published reports as stating, "How dreams are generated, and what purpose they might serve, are completely open questions at this point. These results describe for the first time in detail the extent of lesion necessary to produce loss of dreaming in the absence of other neurological deficits. As such, they offer a target for further study of the localization of dreaming."
Here is the abstract from Annals of Neurology:
M. Bischof & C.L. Bassetti. Total dream loss: A distinct neuropsychological dysfunction after bilateral PCA stroke.
Correspondence to Claudio L. Bassetti, Neurologische Poliklinik, Universitatsspital, Frauenklinikstrasse 26, CH-8091 Zurich, Switzerland
The term Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome (CWS) denotes dream loss following focal brain damage. We report the first case of CWS, in whom neuropsychological functions, extension of the underlying lesion, and sleep architecture changes were assessed. A 73-year-old woman reported a total dream loss after acute, bilateral occipital artery infarction (including the right inferior lingual gyrus), which lasted for over 3 months. In the absence of sleep-wake complaints and (other) neuropsychological deficits, polysomnography demonstrated an essentially normal sleep architecture with preservation of REM sleep. Dreaming was denied also after repeated awakenings from REM sleep. This observation suggests that CWS (1) can represent a distinct and isolated neuropsychological manifestation of deep occipital lobe damage, and (2) may occur in the absence of detectable REM sleep abnormalities.
(DOI) 10.1002/ana.20246
- Here's A Really Simple Trick That Could Help You Enjoy More Lucid Dreams
Lucid dreams are when you know you're dreaming and you can consciously control events as they unfold: it's like being the director and star of your own Hollywood movie. It's estimated that about 20 per cent of people get to enjoy them fairly...
- Does Sleeping Face-down Induce More Sexual Dreams?
It's a common experience for us to incorporate sounds we hear while we're sleeping into the narrative of our dreams. The real car alarm outside becomes a police siren in our exciting chase through dreamland. Given the way activities and sensations...
- Disturbing Memories Caused By Disturbed Sleep?
Contributed by Lucy Rowe at Totton College. Whether it’s possible for memories of a traumatic experience to be forgotten, only to be recovered years later remains controversial. One concern is that people who report experiencing fragments of buried...
- The Phenomenology Of Pain During Rem Sleep
Coarse — Pain in Dreams Have you ever felt pain in dreams? I have. Once I dreamed I was lying on my stomach, getting a tattoo on my calf against my will. Because it was a particularly malevolent tattoo studio, I cried out in the dream. When I woke up,...
- Neuropsychology Abstract Of The Day: Fatigue
Möller MC, Nygren de Boussard C, Oldenburg C, & Bartfai A. (2014). An investigation of attention, executive, and psychomotor aspects of cognitive fatigability. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. 2014 Jun 26:1-14. [Epub ahead of print]...