The researchers believe they were able to identify a pattern of brain activity that predicts the anger experienced during dreams.
Nothing spoils a good sleep like dreaming of falling teeth or a stalking monster. Fortunately, scientists have gotten to the heart of bad dreams by conducting a study in which they traced the neurological basis of nightmares.
In a study published in the journal JNeurosci, scientists focused on analyzing which part of the brain is responsible for generating feelings of anger in sleeping people.
The researchers woke people up when they were in REM sleep associated with dreams. Participants who reported feeling angry while dreaming had increased neural activity in the right side of the frontal cortex, indicating that this particular part of the brain is responsible for bad dreams. A neural signature known as frontal alpha asymmetry is also associated with anger and self-regulation while awake.
“We demonstrate that people who experience large frontal alpha asymmetry during REM sleep and evening wakefulness are more likely to experience anger in their dreams,” the researchers write in a scientific article for the journal JNeurosci. "Thus, frontal alpha asymmetry may reflect the ability to regulate emotions not only during awakening, but also when a person is in a state of sleep."
However, the study had some limitations. First of all, it was carried out under laboratory conditions. However, scientists suggest that the information received supports theories that dreaming is a realistic simulation of life while awake.
As the experts note, their work alone does not suggest that the specific neural activation that accompanies anger during sleep supports a specific function - such as experiencing dangerous situations or negative affective states - to help better cope with them during periods of wakefulness.
Vladimir Guillen
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