Eye movement patterns correlate with overt emotional behaviours in rapid eye movement sleep

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1770 - 9
• Main Authors: Maranci, Jean-Baptiste, Nigam, Milan, Masset, Luc, Msika, Eva-Flore, Vionnet, Marie Charlotte, Chaumereil, Charlotte, Vidailhet, Marie, Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda, Arnulf, Isabelle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 02.02.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/378/1457; 692/617/375; Aged; Behavior; Dreams; Dreams - physiology; Emotional behavior; Emotions; Emotions - physiology; Eye Movements; Facial Expression; Female; Human health and pathology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Life Sciences; Male; multidisciplinary; REM sleep; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder - diagnosis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sleep; Sleep disorders; Sleep, REM; Neurological disorders; Emotion
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05905-5

Growing evidence suggests that sleep plays a key role in regulating emotions. Rapid eye movements (REMs) in REM sleep could be associated with dreams emotions, but supporting evidence is indirect. To highlight this association, we studied the REM sleep during video-polysomnography of 20 subjects with REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), a model of enacted dreams offering direct access to the emotional content of the sleeper (face expression, speeches, behaviour). Video and the electro-oculography recordings were divided into 3 s time intervals and classified as non-behavioural, or behavioural (neutral, positive or negative emotions), and as containing no eye movements (EMs), slow eye movements (SEMs) or REMs (isolated or bursts). Compared to the absence of EMs, neutral behaviours successively increased in the presence of SEMs (odd ratio, OR = 1.4), then isolated REMs (OR = 2.8) and then REM bursts (OR = 4.6). Positive behaviours increased with SEMs (OR = 2.8) but did not increase further with isolated REMs (OR = 2.8) and REM bursts (OR = 3). Negative behaviours were absent with SEMs, increased with isolated REMs (OR = 2.6) and further with REM bursts (OR = 10.1). These results support an association between REMs and SEMs, and dream emotions.