Neurophysiological and psychopharmacological approaches to sensory deprivation phenomena

1. Research concerned with neurophysiological aspects of sensory deprivation phenomena is surveyed. 2. A theory is developed regarding the neurophysiological processes involved in sensory deprivation phenomena. It is postulated that the high amplitude bursts of slow waves observed in the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus in deafferentation studies represent a PGO-like substrate of dream initiation. Concurrent neurochemical alterations are hypothesized to consist of a decrease in central serotonergic activity and an increase in norepinephrine level. 3. Hallucinogenic drugs, which produce subjective effects similar to those reported in sensory deprivation, are noted to induce neurochemical changes similar to those hypothesized for sensory deprivation. 4. New directions for research in this field are suggested.