SLEEP AND DREAMS: A NEUROBIOLOGICAL APPROACH

Abstract

In the last decades marked progress is being made in the knowledge of sleep mechanisms. However, many big questions remain unanswered in sleep research, making it a very fascinating field of study. The functions of mammalian sleep, and of dreams in particular, remain unclear. Probably, a number of functions may be efficiently completed during sleep, but the important variations occurring among the different species in relation to sleep, suggest that not all the proposed functions are universally expressed across mammalian species and across their lifespan. Moreover, the study of sleep and dreams may contribute to our understanding of consciousness and memory mechanisms. Converging evidence indicates that, in weak-sleep cycle, consciousness undergoes changes strictly correlated with sleep-induced modifications in the brain, and that offline memory reprocessing during sleep plays a role in memory consolidation mechanisms