Eye movement patterns correlate with overt emotional behaviours in rapid eye movement sleep

Abstract

Growing evidence suggests that sleep plays a key role in regulating emotions. Rapid eye movements (REMs) in REM sleep could be associated with dreams emotions, but supporting evidence is indirect. To highlight this association, we studied the REM sleep during video-polysomnography of 20 subjects with REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), a model of enacted dreams offering direct access to the emotional content of the sleeper (face expression, speeches, behaviour). Video and the electro-oculography recordings were divided into 3 s time intervals and classified as non-behavioural, or behavioural (neutral, positive or negative emotions), and as containing no eye movements (EMs), slow eye movements (SEMs) or REMs (isolated or bursts). Compared to the absence of EMs, neutral behaviours successively increased in the presence of SEMs (odd ratio, OR = 1.4), then isolated REMs (OR = 2.8) and then REM bursts (OR = 4.6). Positive behaviours increased with SEMs (OR = 2.8) but did not increase further with isolated REMs (OR = 2.8) and REM bursts (OR = 3). Negative behaviours were absent with SEMs, increased with isolated REMs (OR = 2.6) and further with REM bursts (OR = 10.1). These results support an association between REMs and SEMs, and dream emotions.

Wide-spread brain activation and reduced CSF flow during avian REM sleep

“…Such imagery might be linked to rapid eye movements, which are thought to track visual scenes in dreams 38 , 42 – 44 . Activation of the amygdala suggests that such experiences involve emotions 34 , 43 . The potential emotional content might be linked to the rapid constrictions of the pupils occurring during REM sleep, which also occur during courtship and aggression in awake birds 21 .…”

Clinical neurophysiology of REM parasomnias: Diagnostic aspects and insights into pathophysiology

“…Rapid eye movements (REMs) were first described by Aserinsky and Kleitman ( Aserinsky and Kleitman, 1953 , Aserinsky and Kleitman, 1955 ) and are mainly associated with motor activity during REM sleep in RBD ( Frauscher et al, 2009 , Leclair-Visonneau et al, 2010 , Manni et al, 2009 ). Of note, in 20 subjects with RBD REMs, isolated or in bursts, were temporally associated with both emotional and neutral behaviors ( Maranci et al, 2022 ).…”