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The role of the amygdala in dreaming
Includes bibliographical references.
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| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of Psychology
2015
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| _version_ | 1867613225316515840 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Blake, Yvonne |
| author2 | Solms, Mark |
| author_browse | Blake, Yvonne Solms, Mark |
| author_facet | Solms, Mark Blake, Yvonne |
| author_sort | Blake, Yvonne |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Includes bibliographical references. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12718 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:45.765Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publishDateRange | 2015 |
| publishDateSort | 2015 |
| publisher | Department of Psychology |
| publisherStr | Department of Psychology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12718 The role of the amygdala in dreaming Blake, Yvonne Solms, Mark Balchin, Ross Includes bibliographical references. Neuro-imaging studies have strongly implicated the basolateral amygdala in dreaming (e.g. Maquet et al., 1996). Various neuropsychological dream theorists (Domhoff, 2001; Hobson, Pace-Schott & Stickgold, 2000; Revonsuo, 2000) propose central roles for the amygdala in dreaming (particularly in the generation of dream affect); however, little empirical research on its function in dreaming exists. Urbach-Wiethe Disease (UWD) is a very rare genetic condition that can lead to calcifications in the medial temporal lobes. This study analysed 26 dream reports collected from eight adult UWD patients with fully calcified basolateral amygdalae bilaterally, and compared them to 58 dream reports collected from 17 matched controls. Dream affect and various other dream characteristics were examined. A number of significant results of small to moderate effect size were found. Notably, UWD patients’ dream reports had a significantly higher mean intensity of positive affect than controls’ dream reports, a significantly lower mean intensity of negative affect, a significantly higher mean intensity of PLAY, and a significantly lower mean intensity of RAGE. The UWD patients’ dream reports were also significantly more wish-fulfilling than the controls’ dream reports, were significantly less likely to be classified as nightmares, and had a significantly lower word count and narrative item count. These results are consistent with an extensive literature that implicates the basolateral amygdala in fear conditioning, emotional appraisal and in similar affective processes in waking life (e.g. LeDoux, 2003; Pessoa, 2010). The dream reports were also analysed for instances of threat and escape, as well as for approach and avoidance behaviour, in order to test some of the hypotheses central to Revonsuo’s (2000) threat simulation theory (TST) of dreaming. These analyses produced no significant results. Given that the amygdala is essential to Revonsuo’s (2000) conceptualisation of dreaming as an evolutionarily adaptive mechanism to safely simulate threat avoidance, these findings contradict some of TST’s central predictions. In general, these findings suggest that the average dream of persons with bilateral basolateral amygdalae damage is significantly simpler, more pleasant, less unpleasant, more wish-fulfilling and less likely to be a nightmare than the average control dream. As such, the dream reports of the UWD patients seem strikingly similar to the dreams of young children. 2015-05-04T07:11:06Z 2015-05-04T07:11:06Z 2014 Master Thesis Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12718 eng application/pdf Department of Psychology Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Blake, Yvonne The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| title_full | The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| title_fullStr | The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| title_short | The role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| title_sort | role of the amygdala in dreaming |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12718 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT blakeyvonne theroleoftheamygdalaindreaming AT blakeyvonne roleoftheamygdalaindreaming |