Information processing in rapid eye movement sleep. Possible neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and clinical correlates.

Studies on cerebral hemispheric specialization suggest that the right and left hemispheres process information in different and sometimes conflicting ways. Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep may reflect relatively greater activation or efficiency of the right and left hemispheres, respectively. Much of the mentation in wakefulness is dominated by the left hemisphere and its heavy language orientation. Modern theories of dreaming suggest that new solutions or adaptations to existing problems (i.e., new attitudes) may be enhanced by REM sleep and reflected in dreams. This report reviews experimental and clinical evidence to find neurophysiological, neuropsychological, and clinical support for the view that information is processed during REM sleep through increased activation, efficiency, and/or relative functional isolation of the right hemisphere.