REM and NREM Processing Specializations

描述（由申请人提供）：本R21提案的目的是开发一个新的研究项目，以探索快速眼动（REM）和非快速眼动（NREM）睡眠状态的潜在认知加工专业化。识别这种处理专门化将指向迄今为止未被认识到的快速眼动和非快速眼动功能专门化的相关性，从而可能导致我们对睡眠功能的理解取得突破。最近（McNamara, McLaren, Smith, Brown, & Stickgold, 2005）对500多份快速眼动、非快速眼动和清醒状态的心理报告进行了分析，我们发现快速眼动比非快速眼动或清醒状态表现出更多的攻击性社会互动模拟，非快速眼动比快速眼动或清醒状态表现出更多的友好互动模拟。事实上，在NREM报告中绝对没有（零）模拟攻击性互动。我们计划通过对一组健康的年轻志愿者进行快速眼动和非快速眼动觉醒的夜间多导睡眠记录来跟进和扩展这些发现。我们将在拟议的实验中探讨以下问题：1)麦克纳马拉等人（2005）的发现可以被复制和扩展吗？是否有证据表明快速眼动和非快速眼动的认知处理专业化：a)社会互动的模拟，b)情绪，c)将有意状态归因于其他梦境特征（“心智理论”），以及2)在一个晚上的睡眠中，非快速眼动“梦”的内容是否与快速眼动“梦”的内容相关？识别快速眼动和非快速眼动睡眠的认知加工专门化将产生更好的各种睡眠障碍的定量模型，并更好地治疗与睡眠相关的精神健康障碍。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this R21 proposal is to develop a new research program that will explore potential cognitive processing specializations of REM (rapid eye movement) and NREM (non-REM) sleep states. Identifying such processing specializations would point to hitherto unrecognized correlates of functional specializations for REM and NREM and thus may lead to a breakthrough in our understanding of sleep function. In a recent (McNamara, McLaren, Smith, Brown, & Stickgold, 2005) analysis of over 500 mentation reports from the REM, NREM and wake states, we found that REM exhibited greater numbers of simulations of aggressive social interactions than NREM or waking reports, and NREM exhibited greater numbers of simulations of friendly interactions than REM or wake reports. Indeed, there were absolutely no (zero) simulations of aggressive interactions in NREM reports. We plan to follow-up on and extend these findings by performing overnight polysomnographic recordings along with REM and NREM awakenings in a group of healthy young volunteers. We will explore the following questions in the proposed experiments: 1) Can the McNamara et al. (2005) findings be replicated and extended? Is there any evidence for REM and NREM cognitive processing specializations with respect to a) simulations of social interactions, b) emotions, and c) attributions of intentional states to other dream characters ("Theory of Mind") and 2) Is content of a NREM "dream" related to the content of a REM "dream" across a single night of sleep? Identifying cognitive processing specializations of REM and NREM sleep will yield better quantitative models of a variety of sleep disorders and better treatment of sleep-related mental health disorders.