European Journal of Anatomy

Official Journal of The Spanish Society of Anatomy
Cover Volume 3 - Number 3
Eur J Anat, 3 (3): 163-175 (1999)

The anatomy of dreaming, and REM sleep

Reinoso-Suarez F., De Andres I., Rodrigo-Angulo M.L., De la Roza C., Nunez A., Garzon M.

Departamento de Morfologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo s/n, 28029 Madrid, Spain

ABSTRACT Most neuroscientists today agree that the richest and best structured dreams occur during REM sleep. In fact, the structures responsible for REM sleep, the anatomy of which is controversial, are necessary for normal dreams. The pontine tegmentum structures with a definite role in the control of different events characterizing REM sleep (EEG activation, atonia, PGO activity and rapid eye movements) are precisely located. However, the exact site of the structure that can simultaneously trigger all the manifestations of REM sleep, with all its bioelectrical and behavioral manifestations, is still controversial. We have demonstrated that the ventral part of the oral pontine reticular nucleus is the nodal link, acting like an orchestra conductor, of the extense neuronal network that harmoniously generates and maintains REM sleep. Here, a systematic multidisciplinary study of the ventral part of the oral pontine reticular nucleus borders, connectivity, neuronal and synaptic morphology, and chemical structure, at light and electronmicroscopic levels, as well as functional studies of unitary recordings, and electrical and chemical stimulation of in vitro and in vivo preparations are reported. All our data illustrate the complex morpho-functional organization of the neuronal network responsible for the generation and maintenance of REM sleep. The final part of this article summarizes the current literature on PET imaging studies of REM sleep, which coordinate well with our functional anatomic results and with the notion that during REM sleep, the structures in the cerebral cortex responsible for the different aspects of declarative memory consolidation (medial orbitofrontal cortex, hippocampus, parahippocampal cortex, etc.) and the association cortex areas most directly related with these structures are activated.

Keywords: 4 aminobutyric acid, acetylcholine, AMPA receptor, dopamine, glutamic acid, histamine, muscarinic receptor, noradrenalin, serotonin, brain blood flow, brain stem, circadian rhythm, dreaming, electroencephalography, human, positron emission tomography, REM sleep, reticular formation, review, sleep time, sleep waking cycle, suprachiasmatic nucleus

European Journal of anatomy
ISSN 2340-311X (Online)