Sleep and Dreaming: Scientific Advances and Reconsiderations (Paperback)

~ Edward F. Pace-Schott (Editor), Mark Solms (Editor), Mark Blagrove (Editor), Stevan Harnad (Editor) "Dreaming is a universal human experience that offers a unique view of consciousness and cognition..." (more)
Key Phrases: apex dreaming, dream production system, apex dreams, Department of Psychology, New York, Harvard Medical School (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a fascinating book on the state of the science of sleep and dreaming circa 2002." Quarterly Review of Biology

"This is a fascinating book on the state of the science of sleep and dreaming circa 2002." Quarterly Review of Biology

Product Description

From the study of brainstem-based models of sleep cycle control, current research is moving toward combined brainstem/forebrain models of sleep cognition. The book presents five papers by contemporary leading scientists, and more than seventy-five commentaries on those papers by nearly all of the other distinguished authorities in the field. Topics include mechanisms of dreaming and REM sleep, memory consolidation in REM sleep, and an evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. The papers and commentaries, together with the authors' rejoinders, represent significant advances in the understanding of the sleeping and dreaming brain.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521008697
• ISBN-13: 978-0521008693
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #341,821 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars #1 Resource, October 4, 2003

By A Customer

If you are serious about understanding dreaming from the perspective of cognitive neuropsychology, this collection of papers is a must-read -- the cutting edge of current thinking in the field.

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific collection of ideas, September 22, 2009

By	Richard Coutts "Richard Coutts" (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

Theories on why we dream are varied and many. There are credible scientists who say dreams have no functional purpose, but rather are byproducts of unrelated processes that occur during sleep, such as memory consolidation. Meanwhile, there are equally credible scientists who assert that dreams perform important functions that restructure the mind, helping us navigate our waking lives. A problem with most scientific books on dreaming is that they argue for one of these two extremes, resulting in a lop-sided argument. "Sleep and Dreaming" takes a much different approach. It presents five very approachable papers (e.g., you don't need to be a scientist to understand them) that cover the gamut in current scientific dream research. It then solicits opinions from the best minds in the field on the ideas presented. The end result is a comprehensive cross-section of the scientific community's understanding and thoughts on this important topic.