Apical drive-A cellular mechanism of dreaming?

Aru J; Siclari F; Phillips WA; Storm JF

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.018

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Journal article

Apical drive-A cellular mechanism of dreaming?

Aru J Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Estonia; Institute of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: Jaan.aru@gmail.com.
Siclari F Center for Investigation and Research on Sleep, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland; Faculty of Natural Sciences, Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Francesca.Siclari@chuv.ch.
Phillips WA Faculty of Natural Sciences, Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom. Electronic address: w.a.phillips@stir.ac.uk.
Storm JF Brain Signalling Group, Section for Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Domus Medica, University of Oslo, PB 1104 Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: j.f.storm@medisin.uio.no.

2020-10-01

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Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. - 2020

English Dreams are internally generated experiences that occur independently of current sensory input. Here we argue, based on cortical anatomy and function, that dream experiences are tightly related to the workings of a specific part of cortical pyramidal neurons, the apical integration zone (AIZ). The AIZ receives and processes contextual information from diverse sources and could constitute a major switch point for transitioning from externally to internally generated experiences such as dreams. We propose that during dreams the output of certain pyramidal neurons is mainly driven by input into the AIZ. We call this mode of functioning "apical drive". Our hypothesis is based on the evidence that the cholinergic and adrenergic arousal systems, which show different dynamics between waking, slow wave sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep, have specific effects on the AIZ. We suggest that apical drive may also contribute to waking experiences, such as mental imagery. Future studies, investigating the different modes of apical function and their regulation during sleep and wakefulness are likely to be richly rewarded.

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