Cognitive flexibility across the sleep-wake cycle: REM-sleep enhancement of anagram problem solving.

Full Abstract

Flexible or 'fluid' cognitive processes are regarded as fundamental to problem solving and creative ability, requiring a specific neurophysiological milieu. REM-sleep dreaming is associated with creative processes and abstract reasoning with increased strength of weak associations in cognitive networks. REM sleep is also mediated by a distinctive neurophysiological profile, different to that of wake and NREM sleep. This study compared the performance of 16 subjects on a test of cognitive flexibility using anagram word puzzles following REM and NREM awakenings across the night, and waking performances during the day. REM awakenings provided a significant 32% advantage in the number of anagrams solved compared with NREM awakenings and was equal to that of wake time trials. Correlations of individual performance profiles suggest that REM sleep may offer a different mode of problem solving compared with wake and NREM. When early and late REM and NREM awakening data were separated, a dissociation was evident, with NREM task performance becoming more REM-like later in the night, while REM performance remained constant. These data suggest that the neurophysiology of REM sleep represents a brain state more amenable to flexible cognitive processing than NREM and different from that in wake, and may offer insights into the neurocognitive properties of REM-sleep dreaming.

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Author information

Author/s: Walker, Matthew P (MP); Liston, Conor (C); Hobson, J Allan (JA); Stickgold, Robert (R);

Affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 74 Fenwood Road, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mwalker(-atsign-)hms.harvard.edu

Grants: DA11744-01A1 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; MH-48832 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Brain research. Cognitive brain research (Brain Res Cogn Brain Res), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Nov; vol 14 (issue 3) : pp 317-24

Dates: Created 2002/11/07; Completed 2003/02/07; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12421655, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Cognition - physiology
Dreams - physiology; psychology
Female
Humans
Language

Language
Male
Problem Solving
Sleep Stages - physiology
Sleep, REM - physiology
Vocabulary
Wakefulness - physiology

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