The Strange Science of Why We Dream

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It would be a lot easier to study the science of dreaming if we weren’t asleep every time we did it. Why do we dream? What does dreaming do for our brains? How did dreaming evolve? Here’s a look at the current theories from psychology and neuroscience.

References:
Barrett, D. (2017), Dreams and creative problem-solving. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1406: 64-67. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13412
Carlo Cipolli, Roberto Bolzani, Cesare Comoldi, Rossana De Beni, Iino Fagioli, Bizarreness Effect in Dream Recall, Sleep, Volume 16, Issue 2, March 1993, Pages 163–170, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/16.2.163
Eagleman DM, Vaughn DA (2021). The Defensive Activation Theory: REM Sleep as a Mechanism to Prevent Takeover of the Visual Cortex. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 15:632853. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2021.632853
El-Solh, A. A. (2018). Management of nightmares in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: Current perspectives. Nature and Science of Sleep, 10, 409–420.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30538593/
Hughes, J. Donald. (2000). Dream Interpretation in Ancient Civilizations. Dreaming. 10. 7-18. 10.1023/A:1009447606158.
Káli, S., Dayan, P. Off-line replay maintains declarative memories in a model of hippocampal-neocortical interactions. Nature Neuroscience 7, 286–294 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1202
Montangero, Jacques & Ivanyi, Corinne & Saint-Hilaire, Zara. (2003). Completeness and accuracy of morning reports after a recall cue: Comparison of dream and film reports. Consciousness and cognition. 12. 49-62. 10.1016/S1053-8100(02)00029-6.
Stickgold, R., Malia, A.; Maguire, D., Roddenberry, D., O'Connor, M. (2000). Replaying the Game: Hypnagogic Images in Normals and Amnesics. Science. 290 (5490): 350–353. doi:10.1126/science.290.5490.350.
Valli, K., Revonsuo, A., Pälkäs, O., Ismail, K. H., Ali, K. J., & Punamäki, R.-L. (2005). The threat simulation theory of the evolutionary function of dreaming: Evidence from dreams of traumatized children. Consciousness and Cognition, 14(1), 188–218. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15766897/
van der Linden, S. The Science Behind Dreaming. Scientific American. July 26, 2011
Erin J. Wamsley, PhD, Karen Perry, MD, Ina Djonlagic, MD, Laura Babkes Reaven, MD, Robert Stickgold, PhD, Cognitive Replay of Visuomotor Learning at Sleep Onset: Temporal Dynamics and Relationship to Task Performance, Sleep, Volume 33, Issue 1, January 2010, Pages 59–68, https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/33.1.59
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