Only in dreams...

Emerging technology is helping brain scientists unravel the mystery of our dreams

"This dream took place in the water. Two sisters wanted to be mermaids. So they turned into mermaids but one of the sisters really wanted to have her sister's legs, so she took them. She returned them to their rightful owner after she was done using them. One of my sorority sisters whom I haven't seen in a while also in my dream. She was telling me she was going to school in another state, and I told her that I had family there. I felt uncomfortable talking to her and I could sense tension between us. We had been taking care of some babies as we were talking and I felt like she didn't like me, or had something against me."

Yes, only in dreams could these nutty, random narratives ever occur. These 3 erratic chronicles are all part of  The DreamBank database, a collection of over 20,000 dream reports, used by scientists conducting dream research. Dream research relies on these accounts, which help further develop what we know about the human brain during sleep.

According to an article published in Newsweek titled, "What Dreams Are Made Of", the most substantial event in dream science was in the 1950s, with the discovery of a phase of sleep characterized by rapid eye movement (REM). REM is a stage of sleep distinguished by intense brain activity and rapid eye movement. People awakened in the midst of REM sleep report highly vivid dreams. Through analysis of electroencephalograph (EEG) scans of the sleeping brain, scientists could see that brain activity during REM sleep was similar to that of the waking brain, and thus concluded that most dreaming does indeed take place during the REM phase. According to the article, about a quarter of sleeping time in adult humans is REM sleep, and during this time, the body is debilitated, but the brain is buzzing.

Yellow, orange, and red regions indicate higher levels of brain activity while blue and purple relate to lower levels of brain activity. (Photo: nanobioart.com)

While scientists do not know all the answers about our dreams and what they may mean, through dream and REM research, some of the mysteries have been, and are continuing to be, uncovered. 

For example, do you ever wonder why are our dreams are often totally random? Brain scans during REM sleep indicate that the most active area of the brain during this time is the limbic system, which controls our emotions, while the prefrontal cortex, your cognitive function complex, is much less operative. This explains why our dreams often have no coherent story line, and often are totally arbitrary. 

Many people also question whether dreams can help us uncover problems in our lives, and reveal secret truths about ourselves. Studies now show that another highly active section of the brain during REM sleep is the anterior cingulate cortex, which helps detect disparities in our lives. Eric Nofzinger, director of the Sleep Neuroimaging Program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center explains, “It’s as if the brain surveys our internal [environment] and tries to figure out what it should be doing, and whether our actions conflict with who we are," (Kantrowitz et al., 2004).

Sigmund Freud thought our true ambitions, hidden during waking life, arise to the surface in dreams, and that dreams were the honest expressions of unconscious desires. Clara Hill, who studies the use of dreams in therapy at the University of Maryland supports this claim, noting that, “dreams are a back door into patient’s thinking. Dreams reveal stuff about you that you didn’t know was there, and can uncover hidden emotions and feelings," (Kantrowitz et al., 2004). 

The article also indicates that dreaming can help certain kinds of learning, and enhance performance. It can help people reveal solutions to problems and find inspiration, as well as help them deal with traumatic events. Deirdre Barret, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and writer of the book “The Committee of Sleep” found that people can use dreams as a way to problem solve if they focus on the current dilemma before they fall asleep.

A study of dreams can also provide insight into the causes and explanation of mental illnesses. The article explains that Schizophrenics, for example, have poor-quality dreams that mainly comprise of objects and not people. Happy, healthy people, on the other hand, have rich dreams with detailed story lines, and show lesser signs of depression. 

Although still a mystery, dreaming is omnipresent in all of us, and it can help aid in finding the answers to the mysteries of humanity. Regardless of theories or answers, dreaming is good for our health, a mental-health exercise, if you will. So for all you dreamers out there, keep on dreaming because dreaming, like thinking, is what makes us human. 

References

Kantrowitz, B., Springen, K., Wingert, P., & Ulick, J. (2004). WHAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF. Newsweek, 144(6), 40-47. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Look on the bright side: Win or lose, March Madness makes you happy

Mental health experts explain why the annual NCAA March Madness college basketball tournament is more than just a game.

(Photo: CNET News)

According to a press release from Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the ever-popular NCAA March Madness tournament has been proven to reduce stress, increase vitality, and even stimulate productivity in the workplace.

Part of the reason for this is because the unpredictable nature of the tournament is appealing and satisfying to our basic human nature. In contrast to other sporting events, in the March Madness tournament any team can win on any given night, so even someone with the least expertise can make a reasonable prediction as to who will win.

“People are hardwired to enjoy the predictions inherent in March Madness,” explains Robert Sobut, a psychiatrist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "It’s in our nature to predict things, as it helps us to survive. So when we’re correct in our predictions, people find it really intoxicating.”

Experts also indicate that tuning into the tournament can boost efforts in the workplace. Our productivity takes a hit when we get bombarded with stress, lack of sleep, and other negative issues, but when we get exposed to things that enjoy and excite us, we become more efficient in the long-run. The tournament adds a unique excitement to our everyday life, which enhances our mood and increases our drive and focus.

According to the release, what is exclusive to the March Madness tournament is the concept of "excitement building on excitement." The enthusiasm only amplifies as the tournament goes on, and even if your team is ousted, the excitement still trumps the disappointment. "Even if your team falls short, you can latch onto other teams to follow and root for throughout the rest of the tournament," Sobut explains.

Whether you were rooting for Butler or Connecticut, or, if your bracket was axed from the get-go like mine was (I had UT winning it all--but hey, being a student here should at least put them in the Final Four by default, right?!), the good news is that March Madness will likely increase smiles across the board regardless.

The science of kissing

(Photo: ratemydrawings.com)

Everyone knows that a good kiss can stop time. It can make your stomach twist, the tiny hairs on your arms stand up, and your body tingle. Kissing should be considered a drug of its own.

Furthermore, according to an article in Zoomer magazine, it is truly addictive.

Kissing has already been proven to reduce stress, and obviously arouse desire. But recent discoveries in the neuroscience world indicate that it has powerful influences on the neurotransmitters in our brains, as well as our hormone levels. This is because our lips are made up of the thinnest, most sensitive skin present on the human body. This ultra-sensitive zone is loaded with sensory neurons that send fast messages to our somatosensory cortex, thus stimulating intense emotion (2009).

Kissing releases a flow of powerful chemicals, one of them being oxytocin, often nicknamed the "cuddle hormone." Dopamine, the pleasure-giving neurotransmitter, is also released, as well as dopamine, which lowers stress.

Brain scan, which also show why we respond to certain people, proved these findings. Anthropologist Helen Fisher explains, "the need for a deep emotional and sexual connection is not weak or selfish behavior, but it is hardwired into [our] brains," (2009).

So kiss away people! And don't feel guilty about it. After all, it's only human nature.

What would you do if you were limitless?

(Photo: Rottentomatoes.com)

It's eye and brain candy all rolled into one in this week's post, with a discussion of Neil Burger's newest film, Limitless, a thriller starring Bradley Cooper.

Movie critic Roger Ebert pinpoints the film's main objective--"We are told time and again that we only use a small portion of our brains and have enough left over to run nations in our down time," he said. When the main character, Eddie Morra (Cooper), is offered a drug that will allow him to access his full brain's potential, he doesn't exactly step in to rule the country, but comes close.

When we are first introduced to Eddie, he is a wishy-washy writer at a standstill in his life. His world is turned upside down and his limits broken when he chooses to take NZT, the magical drug given to Eddie by an old friend. On NZT, Eddie obviously beyond-exceeds in every aspect of his life. He becomes a modern-day Einstein who can tackle even the most complicated, complex equations. He can learn a language in a day, and suddenly is able to remember anything that he has ever heard, seen, or read. Eddie is able to charm absolutely any girl, as well as dupe even the most tough-to-crack players on Wall Street.

Although the movie got bland reviews, (Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 65 percent), the idea behind the film is intriguing. What would it be like if we could use our brains to their fullest potential? 

Now the question goes to you...what would you do if you were limitless?

No love for the love drug?

What better way to start a discussion of the brain than to begin with a topic that directly impacts the brain and its functions—club drugs. The phrase “club drugs” sounds a bit outdated to me, but according to University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Texas at Austin, this group includes the increasingly prevalent drug, Ecstasy.

Recently, Los Angeles County issued a warning flier for Ecstasy—a “how-to-take-this-drug-safely flier”, if you will:



(Photo: www.dailymail.co.uk/news)

Of course, the flier caused a massive uproar. People argue that this is a big step toward the recent trend of the drug being “normalized” into our culture. The flier was produced in response to the growing number of Ecstasy-related injuries in young adults within LA County in 2010.

According to UHS, Ecstasy, also known as MDMA, has been dubbed “the love drug” because of its ability to heighten sensory perceptions and magnify feelings of love, tranquility, empathy, and emotional connectedness to others. Ecstasy’s increasing prevalence in the young-adult world is of growing concern, as recent research has shed light on its long-term neurotoxic and neurochemical effects.

In a recent survey conducted by UHS, 9 percent of the UT Austin community has used Ecstasy in the past 30 days. With LA County arguably permitting the safe use of this psychoactive drug, there is indeed concern of this percentage rising.

I decided to have an interview with Kevin Prince, who coordinates the Alcohol and Drug Education Program for UHS to get his opinion on the issue. Prince acknowledges this growing trend as “the mystique of college experience.” College is a time of experimentation, and at the end of a long week of classes, work, and school, students just want to escape and have some fun. “The rationale behind it makes total sense,” says Prince. “But it is ultimately not achieving the goal [of having a good time]."

Prince describes the use of ecstasy in young adults as “risk-taking kind of behavior”—a behavior that causes long-term negative impacts on the functionality of your brain, especially with repeated use. However, instead of advocating the use of Ecstasy, Prince believes that LA County’s flier will actually decrease the use of the drug in the future by empowering young adults to make the right decisions.

While there is a rational argument that the flier advocates normalcy to Ecstasy, Prince believes that its ultimate goal is to reduce the harm, not encourage use. “A lot of times people will reduce or eliminate their drug use if they are educated about the drug,” Prince says. "It switches young adults from a “what’s-the-big-deal” attitude to having a better understanding of the negative consequences." 

For more information on Ecstasy, or other health-related issues, visit the University Health Services website.