Int Rev Neurobiol
-
The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is of significant interest to neuroscience, due to its role in modulating dopamine function. COMT is dynamically regulated; its expression is altered during normal brain development and in response to environmental stimuli. ⋯ COMT contains several functional polymorphisms and haplotypes, including the well-studied Val158Met polymorphism. Here I review the regulation of COMT and the functional polymorphisms within its sequence with respect to brain function.
-
Review
Trait and neurobiological correlates of individual differences in dream recall and dream content.
Individuals differ greatly in their dream recall frequency, in their incidence of recalling types of dreams, such as nightmares, and in the content of their dreams. This chapter reviews work on the waking life correlates of these differences between people in their experience of dreaming and reviews some of the neurobiological correlates of these individual differences. ⋯ More successful has been the investigation of correlates of frequency of particular types of dreams, such as nightmares and lucid dreams, and also of how waking-life experience is associated with dream content. There is also potential in establishing neurobiological correlates of individual differences in dream recall and dream content, and recent work on this is reviewed.
-
Dreams have been studied from different perspectives: psychoanalysis, academic psychology, and neurosciences. After presenting the definition of dreaming and the methodological tools of dream research, the major findings regarding the phenomenology of dreaming and the factors influencing dream content are briefly reviewed. ⋯ Dreams also have an effect on subsequent waking life, e.g., on daytime mood and creativity. The question about the functions of dreaming is still unanswered and open to future research.
-
In animals, different types of COMT inhibitors, irrespective of their brain penetration, are pro-nociceptive in several models of acute and inflammatory pain. Similarly, COMT knock-out mice are more sensitive to nociceptive stimuli, whereas in mice over-expressing a high activity COMT variant nociceptive sensitivity is decreased. COMT knock-out mice also show altered response to opioids and stress-induced analgesia. ⋯ In chronic clinical pain, the effect of COMT polymorphisms depends on the pain conditions. Hence, in neuropathic and cancer pains, COMT activity is meaningless but in some chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions and migraine or headache low COMT activity appears to increase incidence and symptoms. A low COMT activity also increases availability of opioid receptors and may enhance opioid analgesia and adverse effects at least in cancer pains.
-
We review theories of dream work. We also review the empirical research about how dreams are used in psychotherapy, as well as the process and outcome of different models of dream work. Finally, we review how dream content can be used to understand client, the role of culture in dream work, client and therapist dreams about each other, and training therapists to do dream work.