What part of the brain is responsible for dreaming?
Two areas in the cerebral hemispheres (very far away from the pons, which is responsible for REM sleep) and the areas of the brain responsible for higher mental functions: • Deep white matter of the frontal lobes which contains large fiber pathway which transmit the neurotransmitter dopamine from the middle part of the brain to the higher parts of the brain. • Gray cortex at the back of the brain (occipito-temporo-parietal junction) which is where the brain performs the highest level of processing of perceptual information. What is the evidence that the frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for dreaming? • Damage to the frontal areas renders dreaming impossible but leaves the REM cycle unaffected. • L-dopa (a drug, used against Parkinsons disease, which increases the amount of dopamine) leads to a massive increase in the frequency and intensity of dreaming without any effect on the frequency or intensity of REM sleep. • The intensity of dreaming caused by dopamine stimulants (like L
