REM-SLEEP EYE-MOVEMENT COUNTS CORRELATE WITH VISUAL-IMAGERY IN DREAMING - A PILOT-STUDY

Based on the findings of our previously published positron emission to mography study, we proposed that recorded eye movements during REM sle ep are visually targeted saccades. In the present study, we examined t he correlation between the number of eye movements in REM sleep (EM) a nd visual imagery in dreaming (V) and provided further support for our proposal. All the observations (N = 11) were made with one individual to eliminate interindividual variation and were made during the secon d REM sleep period to control for a time-of-night effect. V, with or w ithout dream report length partialled out, was strongly associated wit h EM only in the 1-min interval immediately preceding awakening. The t ime course of the association suggests that the strong EM-V associatio n reflects a phasic, localized activation of the eye-movement-control system in association with REM sleep eye movements.