CLUES to why people experience dreams as bizarre collages of images are
coming from brain scans.
Researchers performed brain scans on men while they were awake and while they
slept. Brain regions that mediate simple visual perception shut off during
dreams, but regions responsible for complex imagery showed more activity (
Science, vol 279, p 91).
During dreams, brain regions that give meaning to images did not show normal
activity. The team concludes that visual perception operates as a closed system
in dreams. Member Allen Braun of the US National Institute on Deafness and
Communication Disorders in Maryland says: 鈥淧henomenologically it鈥檚 been obvious,
but it鈥檚 never been shown before.鈥�
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