![]() ![]() When activated by laser light, these neurons triggered the rapid induction of REM sleep within 30 seconds, as measured by electroencephalogram (EEG brain) and electromyogram (EMG muscle) scans. However, Dan and her colleagues found a patch of neurons in the ventral medulla - a part of the brain stem - that could do both. Muscle atonia keeps us from acting out our dreams, and in the past, it was believed that the brain stem neurons in charge of this paralysis were different from those responsible for inducing other aspects of REM sleep. Our eyes dart around, and our muscles become completely paralyzed. Brain waves suddenly shift again, becoming fast and irregular. We linger in deep, non-REM sleep until suddenly, our minds take a turn into REM sleep. ![]() Our muscle movements become less frequent, and our brain waves become slower with the occasional burst of rapid waves, called sleep spindles. ![]() As normal people progress through the first four stages of non-REM sleep, our slumber deepens. REM sleep is the last of five stages that repeat in a cycle while we sleep. Punching, kicking and aggressive motions are common for people with REM sleep behavior disorder, wherein the boundaries between dreaming and real-life movements breakdown. Jouvet’s research showed how lesions in the brain could interrupt the neural pathways responsible for one of the classical features of REM sleep: muscle paralysis, otherwise known as muscle atonia. REM sleep was discovered in the early 1950s, and later that decade, pioneering work by Jouvet concluded that the brain stem was important for REM sleep. In this case, the mice were genetically engineered to have light-sensitive neurons in their brain stem. The researchers, led by UC Berkeley neuroscientist Yang Dan, used optogenetics, a technique wherein individual neurons can be triggered to transmit signals using laser light from a fiber optic implant. Three weeks ago, for instance, a study in the journal Nature highlighted how scientists had engineered a light switch to toggle REM sleep on and off in mice. And within the last couple of years, scientists have made major strides in unraveling the neural circuitry in control of REM sleep. The regulation of REM sleep plays a major role in sleep disorders, like narcolepsy, where the boundaries of being awake and the state of dreaming are melted together. REM is the sleep stage associated with our most vivid dreams, but it is also believed to be important for learning and may influence migraines. Thanks to emerging advances in neuroscience, I may one day have that option.Įxperts say that a renaissance is happening right now in our understanding of REM - rapid eye movement - sleep. Sometimes my dreams are so painfully detailed that I wake up exhausted, and I sometimes wonder if I’d be better off without them. I lost control while boxing a faceless person - it was a fight for my life - and the episode ended with me hitting the wall. As a lucid dreamer, my nocturnal adventures have two qualities: they’re vivid, and I can often manipulate the events. The act wasn’t due to adolescent rebellion. We’ll have a panel of sleep experts answering questions on why we dream and how it affects our sleep. EST tomorrow on Twitter for #NewsHourChats. Editor’s note: Have questions about your dreams? Join us at 1 p.m. ![]()
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