A Neuroanatomical Framework for Understanding Dream Content

Abstract

Sleep Hypn 2016;18(4):82-91 ABSTRACT The neurostructural model of dreaming avers that dreams are actively generated by the neural network formed by the mesolimbic-dopaminergic pathway, the ventromesial-orbitofrontal cortex, and the inferomesial temporal-limbicoccipital pathway as a result of the disengagement of the frontal convexity. Although the narrative content of dreams usually appears to be uncanny and unintelligible, there are typical dream themes that are similarly experienced by most people. On the other hand, some common waking-life activities that entail prefrontal executive functions rarely emerge in dreams. The cross-cultural resemblance of prevalence profiles for typical dream themes suggests that the formation of dream images is regularly biased toward a specific group of themes and is operated on by highly stable mechanisms and predispositions. In this article, I propose that the functional architecture of dreaming as depicted by the neurostructural model can provide a framework for understanding these predispositions.

Ancient Social Motive Simulation Hypothesis of Dreaming

“…If the function of dreaming is the simulation of ancient social motives (i.e., self-protection, disease avoidance, mate seeking, mate keeping, affiliation, status, and kin care) to rehearse functional behavior aimed at satisfying these motives, a dream production mechanism (e.g., Hobson, 2014;Yu, 2016) that tends to select active adaptive goals and simulate them repeatedly in a variety of scenarios would have increased the likelihood of successful reproduction.…”

Ancient Social Motive Simulation Hypothesis of Dreaming

“…If the function of dreaming is the simulation of ancient social motives (i.e., self-protection, disease avoidance, mate seeking, mate keeping, affiliation, status, and kin care) to rehearse functional behavior aimed at satisfying these motives, a dream production mechanism (e.g., Hobson, 2014;Yu, 2016) that tends to select active adaptive goals and simulate them repeatedly in a variety of scenarios would have increased the likelihood of successful reproduction.…”

Attachment, childhood trauma, and dreaming.

“…It is interesting to note that two of the 15 major categories of typical dream themes are concerned with ego-ideal and object-relation issues (Yu, 2012a(Yu, , 2016a(Yu, , 2016b. Dream themes of the ego-ideal category describe a failure to uphold the image toward which the ego aspires, such as being blamed or punished, failing or performing very badly in front of others, and others not giving proper credits for one's achievements.…”