Nocturnal visual hallucinations in patients with disorders of arousal: a novel behavioral and EEG pattern

Gnoni, Valentina; Duncan, Iain; Wasserman, Danielle; Higgins, Seán; Drakatos, Panagis; Birdseye, Adam; Pérez-Carbonell, Laura; Nesbitt, Alexander; Koutroumanidis, Michalis; Leschziner, Guy; Rosenzweig, Ivana

doi:10.3325/cmj.2022.63.438

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Previously, we and others have suggested that the subconscious processing of external environmental cues during NREMP episodes may promote discontinuity and ambiguity in the mental imagery of dreamers. 5 , 9 , 10 , 43 In this NREMP cohort, however, dream recall may have been further affected by significant sleep fragmentation, as evidenced by a higher arousal index compared to iRBD patients. Moreover, as shown in Figure 2 , the NREMP reports in our study demonstrate high convolution and recursiveness, thought-like dreams, and confusion regarding the chronology of events.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Patients diagnosed with iRBD (n = 37) and NREM parasomnia (n = 138) according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) criteria, as previously published 5 , 8 (also please refer to Figure 1 ), were initially identified. Of those initially identified, only seven iRBD and 20 NREMP patients had fulfilled required inclusion criteria for speech graph analysis (Orlinsky score of 2 or above), and thus subsequently their dream reports and sleep macrostructures were analyzed; none were receiving any psychotropic medication at the time of the VPSG investigation.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Systematic review of patients’ medical records, VPSG recordings, and post-VPSG morning questionnaires was undertaken, as previously described. 5 As a part of an established clinical routine at the Sleep Disorders Centre, patients were asked to fill the post-VPSG morning questionnaires upon awaking, in order to record any oneiric mentation linked with their diagnostic VPSG-recorded motor events. The morning questionnaires were semi-structured, self-administered, and contained open-ended questions with elements of both the Orlinsky scale 37 and the Hall and Van de Castle dream coding system.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 This has recently been disputed, and it has been shown that dreams arising from NREM sleep, albeit less frequently, may feature complex narratives and structured dreams. 5 , 6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dreaming Characteristics in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia and Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Similarities and Differences

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Raheel,

Duncan

et al. 2024

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Background Speech graph analysis (SGA) of dreams has recently shown promise as an objective and language-invariant diagnostic tool that can aid neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Whilst the notion that dreaming mentations reflect distinct physiologic processes is not new, such studies in patients with sleep disorders remain exceptionally scarce. Here, using SGA and other dream content analyses, we set to investigate structural and thematic differences in morning dream recalls of patients diagnosed with Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia (NREMP) and Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD). Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study of morning dream recalls of iRBD and NREMP patients was undertaken. Traditional dream content analyses, such as Orlinsky and Hall and Van de Castle analyses, were initially conducted. Subsequently, SGA was performed in order to objectively quantify structural speech differences between the dream recalls of the two patient groups. Results Comparable rate of morning recall of dreams in the sleep laboratory was recorded; 25% of iRBD and 18.35% of NREMP patients. Aggression in dreams was recorded by 28.57% iRBD versus 20.00% in NREMP group. iRBD patients were more likely to recall dreams (iRBD vs NREMP; P = 0.007), but they also had more white dreams, ie having a feeling of having dreamt, but with no memory of it. Visual and quantitative graph speech analyses of iRBD dreams suggested stable sequential structure, reflecting the linearity of the chronological narrative. Conversely, NREMP dream reports displayed more recursive, less stable systems, with significantly higher scores of graph connectivity measures. Conclusion The findings of our exploratory study suggest that iRBD and NREMP patients may not only differ on what is recalled in their dreams but also, perhaps more strikingly, on how dreams are recalled. It is hoped that future SGA-led dream investigations of larger groups of patients will help discern distinct mechanistic underpinnings and any associated clinical implications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 1 This has recently been disputed, and it has been shown that dreams arising from NREM sleep, albeit less frequently, may feature complex narratives and structured dreams. 5 , 6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Dreaming Characteristics in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia and Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Similarities and Differences

See,

Raheel,

Duncan

et al. 2024

NSS

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The episode also terminates with a sudden waking 6,7 (see Table 1) associated with the recollection the vivid "dream like" imageries. 18,48,49 The eyes may be open and visually tracking the object's change across space. 48 One case study describes the patient as sitting up on the bed yellow, looking around mumbling unintelligible words and/or pointing to nonexisting objects.…”

Section: Complex Nocturnal Visual Hallucinationsmentioning

confidence: 99%