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Related Experiment Videos

Nightmares: a new neurocognitive model.

Tore Nielsen1, Ross Levin

  • 1Dream & Nightmare Laboratory, Sleep Research Centre, Sacré-Coeur Hospital of Montreal, 5400 boul. Gouin Ouest, Montréal, Qué., Canada. tore.nielsen@umontreal.ca

Sleep Medicine Reviews
|May 15, 2007
PubMed
Summary
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Nightmares may stem from impaired fear extinction during sleep. The affective network dysfunction (AND) model suggests this dysfunction explains various nightmare types and associated psychiatric conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Science
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Nightmares are common parasomnias linked to psychiatric issues.
  • Existing models propose adaptive dreaming functions like fear extinction.
  • Nightmares are viewed as either an extreme of these functions or a failure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present the affective network dysfunction (AND) model.
  • To propose that nightmares result from impaired fear extinction during dreaming.
  • To integrate prior models and recent findings.

Main Methods:

  • Review and synthesis of existing literature on nightmares, dreaming, and fear extinction.
  • Integration of findings from brain imaging, sleep physiology, and studies on PTSD and anxiety disorders.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Development of the AND model based on fear memory consolidation and extinction principles.

    • Main Results:

    • The AND model posits that nightmares are a consequence of dysfunctions within affective neural networks.
    • This model explains diverse nightmare experiences, including idiopathic and post-traumatic nightmares.
    • It accounts for recent neurobiological and clinical findings related to fear and sleep.

    Conclusions:

    • Nightmares reflect a breakdown in the brain's ability to extinguish fear memories during sleep.
    • The AND model offers a unified framework for understanding nightmares and their psychiatric associations.
    • Further research integrating sleep, neurobiology, and affective science is warranted.