Sleepy brain waves predict dream recall

ScienceBlogs: The patterns of brain waves that occur during sleep can predict the likelihood that dreams will be successfully recalled upon waking up, according to a new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The research provides the first evidence of a 'signature' pattern of brain activity  associated with dream recall. It also provides further insight into the brain mechanisms underlying dreaming, and into the relationship between our dreams and our memories.

Cristina Marzano of the Sleep Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Rome and her colleagues recruited 65 students, selected on the basis of their sleeping habits. For the study, the participants slept for two consecutive nights in a sound-proof, temperature-controlled room in the lab. They were left to sleep uninterrupted on the first night, so that they would get accustomed to the new surroundings.

On the second night, the researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure the participants' brain waves while they slept, and woke them up during specific types of sleep. Soon after being woken up, they were asked filled out a 'sleep and dream diary', giving details of whether or not they dreamt, how many dreams they had and, if they could remember, the contents of any dreams they had.

The researchers found that they could predict successful dream recall from the brain activity patterns recorded just before awakening. Of the participants woken  up during REM sleep, those who exhibited more low frequency theta waves in the frontal lobes were more likely to remember their dreams than those who did not.

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