title: The ability to self-tickle following Rapid Eye Movement sleep dreaming.
abstract: Self-produced tactile stimulation usually feels less tickly--is perceptually attenuated--relative to the same stimulation produced externally. This is not true, however, for individuals with schizophrenia. Here, we investigate whether the lack of attenuation to self-produced stimuli seen in schizophrenia also occurs for normal participants following REM dreams. Fourteen participants were stimulated on their left palm with a tactile stimulation device which allowed the same stimulus to be generated by the participant or by the experimenter. The level of self-tickling attenuation did not differ between REM and non-REM sleep awakening conditions, where presence or absence of an accompanying dream was not controlled for. However, for the female participants, when awakening occurred from an REM sleep dream, self-stimulation ratings were higher than for external stimulation, whereas ratings after NREM sleep unaccompanied by a dream were lower for self-stimulation than for external stimulation. These results indicate deficits in self-monitoring and a confusion between self- and externally generated stimulation accompany REM dream formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Wales Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK. m.t.blagrove@swansea.ac.uk
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blagrove
authors.forename: Sarah-Jayne
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blakemore
authors.forename: Ben R J
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Thayer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004325:Dreams; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018579:Patient Selection; D012653:Self Stimulation; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D012894:Sleep Stages; D012895:Sleep, REM; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness