Dream Memory

A research study at the California Institute of Technology may be close to understanding why it is difficult to carry back memories from our time spent in the dream realm.

It is generally understood and accepted by the scientific community that memories form in the brain region known as the hippocampus and then are transferred and stored in another area believed to be the neocortex.  The strength of the neurons firing between these two regions determines the quality of our ability to recall our thoughts and daily life's occurrences. These synaptic firings are thought to primarily take place during sleep at which time our memories are consolidated and woven into the linear story of our lives.

Using “high-tech eavesdropping techniques,” scientists have been studying the neuron firing that occurs in the minds of sleeping rats. Through studying the timing relationship between a neuron firing in the hippocampus and another in the neocortex, they have determined that it is during dreamless, deep sleep that the pattern can be witnessed and recorded. During REM sleep, the neuron firing was no longer harmonious and didn’t seem to transfer in a consistent way to any particular part of the brain. The researchers are not making any bold hypotheses regarding these findings, but hope their work furthers a deeper study of the relationship between memory recall and dreaming.

Image: "Dreaming" by h.koppdelaney on flickr courtesy by Creative Commons licensing.