psychology instincts make dreams In the dream research there is turmoil, and guilt because Mark Solms. The London neuropsychologist has shown that must be on the decades-long formula down prayed "dream sleep like REM-sleep" a little lazy. Now sends the brain researchers to rehabilitate the long-time dream theory as disproved viewed Sigmund Freud. PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Dr. Solms, why do we dream?
Mark Solms This is still a great mystery. I fear that even 100 years after Freud's book The Interpretation of Dreams and almost 50 years after the discovery of REM sleep we have no convincing answer to the question of why we dream. But we have the first answers to the question of how we dream. And new research on the How will hopefully soon provide insight into the why.
Mark Solms (Neuropsychoanylytiker)
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Sigmund Freud believed 100 years ago to have an answer to the why. His theory, dreams serve the fulfillment of repressed desires, usually sexual. But half a century later, the Research finds that we do not dream the whole night, but especially in certain phases of sleep, called REM sleep. This phase, then out again in a monotonous rhythm of about 90 minutes and from the brain stem, a very primitive region, triggered: Every 90 minutes the brain stem sends a blind volley activation up to the cerebrum. Dreams, it seemed, are nothing but the subjective aspect of this nocturnal mobilization, the brain tries to make sense of it and "translate" the Zufallsgeknatter its nerve cells in images and scenes, the "mean" nothing, absolutely nothing have. Was Freud's dream theory so dead?
Mark Solms it seemed. Some psychoanalysts made rescue attempts, arguing for example that the "rising" REM excitement but perhaps could correspond to the instinctual drive in Freud's theory. But this argument was weak, because that region of the brainstem, where REM sleep is triggered, has to do after what we know, not the least with wishes, drives or instinkthaftem urge. On the contrary, acetylcholine, the brain chemical messenger that is released in this region, makes the cerebrum is not "instinctive", but more rational, colder and more focused. As the physiological were mechanisms that underlie the REM sleep is based in the sixties and seventies decrypted by and by, it looked very bleak indeed for Freud's dream theory.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY And now the tide has turned?
Mark Solms Yes, and dramatic. It started with problems with the REM theory of the dream appeared. It was noted that people do not dream of during their REM sleep, but also in other stages of sleep. 20 to 25 percent of dreams occur outside of REM sleep. First, the researchers tried, these non-REM dreams . Wegzudeuten They said that these were in fact dreams of the last REM phase, the recall of subjects in the subsequent stage of sleep yet. This argument, however, proved unsustainable. Dream reports are obtained namely, even if subjects immediately after falling asleep, wakes - before the first REM period. Today there is no doubt anymore that we do outside of REM sleep, a lot of real dreams. It can not therefore agree that REM darstellt.Die the physiological basis of dreaming the most convincing provide evidence against the theory of REM dreaming now neurological findings: If in a person - for example by a stroke - those parts of the brain destroyed that trigger REM sleep, this did not lead to a loss of the dream experience. These persons have no REM sleep more but they still have dreams. In contrast, if certain other regions of the brain destroyed, that have nothing to do with REM sleep, the patient loses the ability to dream. In these patients remain intact despite the loss, the REM dream sleep. REM sleep is therefore not synonymous with dream sleep.
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY REM is not the switch, which in our Brain dreams anknipst?
Mark Solms However, a switch on, switch. REM is the best known of several triggers, but not the physiological basis of dreaming is. This is a huge difference. REM could be a mechanism that triggers the dream events - but one can dream, even without this stimulus SEM.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY you have now discovered other brain regions, which contribute significantly to dream.
Mark Solms Moreover, the two brain areas that we now bear in mind, not just to dream at, but they make the dreams and in those regions, we observe the driving physiological event that the dream is based. Both regions are not in "primitive" but "higher" regions of the first dream Gehirns.Das area is located just above the ears, in the transition zone between the parietal, temporal and occipital lobes of the brain. This district has to do with spatial perception and spatial awareness - which is not very surprising, because as we all know, dreams of spatial mental images so zusammengesetzt.Das second dream area of the brain is a much more interesting. This is the so-called ventromesialen Region of the frontal lobe, located directly behind the eyes. Here, in the "white matter" of the brain, extend the pathways of those neurons, which must have directly to do with dreaming. If one whose activity is stimulated chemically (
by L-dopa administered, a precursor of the brain neurotransmitter dopamine, the editors ), increases the frequency and intensity of dreams. Now we know from brain research that this area of the frontal lobe with a specific form of motivation has to do. They called this area as the search, expectations or need system of the brain. In animal experiments it has been found that this system causes living beings, to search their environment for an object that meets their immediate needs. This system is as active when an addict stops desperate for a cigarette, a sip of alcohol or a shot of the lookout. It controls our behavior when we are affected hungry, thirsty, or sexually, so if we need something on which we keep on the lookout in the world. And just this motivational system is active during our dreams.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY What happens to brain injuries that are experiencing this motivational system is down?
Mark Solms you develop a syndrome called adynamia a massive motivation. All patients who have lost their ability to dream, suffer from this syndrome. These people are indeed capable of running everything that is commanded them. If the patient is then asked: "Mr. Jones, would you cook a pot of tea, then he gets up and makes tea. But by itself it does nothing, he sat motionless in his place.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY A loss of dreams seems to be coupled with a loss of drive. Is the region in the frontal lobe, where you think the dream generator, therefore, the stronghold of that instinct, which Freud "libido" called?
Mark Solms Well, at least, contradict these neuropsychological findings are not Freud's theory, but they are compatible with it. I do not think though, that what Freud meant by libido, due to this brain area is. Many other parts of the brain also have to find the desire to do sexual stimulation and the like, added hormone and peptide systems. The motivation system of the frontal lobe could represent a very specific part of Freud's libido, namely the search for an object to drive removal. This system does not include the urge or impulse itself, but the search mechanism that is activated in order to satisfy this urge. For example, this system channeled the hunting instinct hungry predators by the environment is scanned for potential prey.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY sits behind the forehead that is a kind of conductor of the libido?
Mark Solms So you could see it. Such a mechanism Freud described in 1895 in his design of a psychology. There he coined the term "specific action": humans and other animals have to learn in the course of their development, to locate specific objects in the environment that are able to satisfy their urges. The shoots themselves are nonspecific. (
Freud described in this early, heavily inspired by neurophysiological Paper the "specific action" as an active form of the excitation discharge - to get rid of his excitement, must act on people and looking at the environment of conditions or create "stimulus waiver is possible only through their impact ... and this operation requires a change in the outside world food supply, close to the sexual object, which can be as specific action only on certain routes. The human organism is initially unable to bring about the specific action. It is provided by outside assistance by an experienced individual to ... the state of the child is made aware. This discharge path thus gains the most important secondary function understanding, and the initial helplessness of a people is the source of all moral motives. "- the editors )
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Allan Hobson, the most famous author of the theory of dreams as a subjective product of chance of REM sleep, admits one, that this theory can be corrected and expanded. He agrees that recent research by you and other scientists indeed show that dreams play in higher brain regions play an important role, having to do with the processing of images. But, says Hobson, hot far from that now Freud's theory was confirmed that dreams the symbolic fulfillment of desires and needs serve. Because "motivation" is surely a more complex process than "wish fulfillment".
Mark Solms He is right when he says: The new research does not prove that Freud was right. They can be interpreted in other ways and with other theories. Hobson is also right that Freud's "wish fulfillment" is not the only type of motivation. Hobson speculated in his turn that dream is perhaps the testing mechanisms of instinct, it is not biologically useful to organisms that instinct mechanisms by nightly test runs to keep working. That might be true. But it could also agree that Freud was right, for "fit" the new findings in his theory. appeared in the fifties and sixties, when the previous results of dream research Freudian conflict theory, called many researchers. "Freud is refuted" Now that the research results are in line with Freud, to say the same researchers: "Why should we just explained by Freud's theory 100 years old? "Freud's theory is thus pulled out only when the facts are against them. Would not it be fair to say instead: "We thought we were wrong, and Freud is not refuted"? The research must make it now, the different hypotheses for the function of dreaming - including those of Freud - check to see which comes closest to the truth. has
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY One of these hypotheses are taken to some popularity. It says that dreams may serve to solidify memory traces: the experiences of the day would be recapitulated in a dream, and remembering values are converted into long-term memory, while trivial is purged.
Mark Solms This theory is currently in a difficult position because they based on the assumption that REM sleep is equal to REM sleep. The researchers prevented subjects or animals-from falling into REM sleep, and then put down certain memory lapses. But now it appears just that REM sleep is not synonymous with dream sleep. Safe: The REM periods have an important function for the body, have we not yet know - but we now know that REM sleep and dreaming have different functions. I think it is very unlikely that dreaming has a function to consolidate memory traces. Patients who have lost their ability to dream show, is entirely undisturbed memory performance. Your Memory is no worse than that of people who dream at night normal.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY But it would be possible but that at night actually memory traces are consolidated - not in dreams, but in REM sleep.
Mark Solms That would be conceivable, but this has recently been questioned by researchers.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY What would Freud say if he heard about the spectacular new findings of neuropsychological dream research?
Mark Solms Freud was very interested in brain research, and he was careful not to recommend to his colleagues as: "Study is not the brain, study the psyche" But in Freud's lifetime, the methods of brain research is still not very advanced - you could then actually very little learn about the psyche by studying the brain. This has changed thoroughly by the new imaging techniques that can accurately monitor the living people, which is in the brain and violated the structures in a patient think sind.Ich, Freud would receive the new findings of neuroscience with open arms . Freud was indeed skeptical about the possibilities of Brain research of his time went on. But he predicted that would come a time in which the psyche could be investigated promising from the perspective of neuroscience and had success.
PSYCHOLOGY TODAY Many of today's psychoanalysts brain research seems to be haunted but not quite. They say the mind is too complicated in that they could be studied with such a "reductionist" methods.
Mark Solms Each method has its limits. There are many questions can be answered with PET images of the brain at best, and on other issues other access routes are more promising. The psychoanalytic method has enormous strengths in addition to their weaknesses. If we in the dream research - and in psychology in general - want to make progress, we must draw consult all available methods.
spoke with Mark Solms Thomas hem Aldehoff. Mark Solms, born in 1961, neuro-psychologist and psychoanalyst and worked at St. Bartholomew's & Royal London School of Medicine. There, he analyzed, among other case studies brain injuries. He showed that not determine the REM sleep, but other "higher" processes in the brain, the physiological event that the Interview with Mark Solms Psychology Today 03/2000, page 30, Section:: dreams based
source is http://www.psychologie-heute dream research (online at . de / )
