Publication
Title
White dreams are made of colours : what studying contentless dreams can teach about the neural basis of dreaming and conscious experiences
Author
Abstract
Reports of white dreams, the feeling of having had a dream experience without being able to specify this experience any further, make up almost one third of all dream reports, yet this phenomenon-until very recently-had not yet been in the focus of targeted investigations. White dreams are typically interpreted as forgotten dreams, and are sidelined as not being particularly informative with regard to the nature of dreaming. In this review article, we propose a paradigm shift with respect to the status of white dreams arguing that focusing on this phenomenon can reveal fundamental insights about the neural processes that occur in the dreaming brain. As part of this paradigm shift, we propose a novel interpretation of what white dreams are. This new interpretation is made possible by recent advancements in three different though interrelated fields focusing on dreaming, mental imagery, and wakeful perception. In this paper, we bring these different threads together to show how the latest findings from these fields fit together and point towards a general framework regarding the neural underpinnings of conscious experiences that might turn out to be highly relevant not just for dream research but for all aspects of studying consciousness. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Sleep medicine reviews. - New York
Publication
London : W b saunders co ltd , 2019
ISSN
1087-0792
DOI
10.1016/J.SMRV.2018.10.005
Volume/pages
43 (2019) , p. 84-91
ISI
000456743300009
Pubmed ID
30529433
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (publisher's version - intranet only)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 01.03.2019
Last edited 02.10.2024
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