Ricerc@Sapienza

Purpose: In the current study, we aimed to investigate the EEG correlates of dream recall (DR) monitoring both the homeostatic and state-trait like factors. We assessed the influence of the time of night on the EEG correlates of DR from REM sleep. Specifically, we tested the continuity-hypothesis (on the theta EEG band) and the activation-hypothesis (on the delta and beta bands).

Dream research has advanced significantly over the last twenty years, thanks to the new
applications of neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques. Many findings pointed out that
mental activity during sleep and wakefulness shared similar neural bases. On the other side, recent
studies have highlighted that dream experience is promoted by significant brain activation,
characterized by reduced low frequencies and increased rapid frequencies. Additionally, several

Once questioned the assumption that dreaming depends on REM sleep, subsequent studies focused on the neural correlates of dream recall (DR). Considering the indirect access to the sleep mentation, this chapter reviews the main neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological findings on DR. Compelling evidence supports the idea that shared mechanisms between sleep and wakefulness underline the encoding and retrieval of episodic memory, studying DR as amnestic trace. On the other side, several observations suggest that higher cortical activation is crucial to dreaming.

Several findings support the activation hypothesis, positing that cortical arousal promotes
dream recall (DR). However, most studies have been carried out on young participants, while the
electrophysiological (EEG) correlates of DR in older people are still mostly unknown. We aimed to
test the activation hypothesis on 20 elders, focusing on the Non‐Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep
stage. All the subjects underwent polysomnography, and a dream report was collected upon their