Activation of brain-heart axis during REM sleep: a trigger for dreaming

Abstract

Dreams may be recalled after awakening from sleep following a defined electroencephalographic pattern that involves local decreases in low-frequency activity in the posterior cortical regions. Although a dreaming experience implies bodily changes at many organ, system, and timescale levels, the entity and causal role of such peripheral changes in a conscious dream experience are unknown. We performed a comprehensive, causal, multivariate analysis of physiological signals acquired during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep at night, including high-density electroencephalography and peripheral dynamics including electrocardiography and blood pressure. In this preliminary study, we investigated multiple recalls and nonrecalls of dream experiences using data from nine healthy volunteers. The aim was not only to investigate the changes in central and autonomic dynamics associated with dream recalls and nonrecalls, but also to characterize the central-peripheral dynamical and (causal) directional interactions, and the temporal relations of the related arousals upon awakening. We uncovered a brain-body network that drives a conscious dreaming experience that acts with specific interaction and time delays. Such a network is sustained by the blood pressure dynamics and the increasing functional information transfer from the neural heartbeat regulation to the brain. We conclude that bodily changes play a crucial and causative role in a conscious dream experience during REM sleep.