AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Regular brain stimulation from REM sleep may help develop and preserve neural pathways. REM sleep triggers impulses that evoke random visual memories, which our sleeping brain weaves into stories. Dream content reflects the dreamers’ cognitive development-his or her knowledge and understanding.

Detailed explanation-2: -We suggest that the brain combats neuroplastic incursions into the visual system by keeping the occipital cortex active at night. We term this the defensive activation theory. In this view, REM sleep exists to keep the visual cortex from being taken over by neighboring cortical areas.

Detailed explanation-3: -Activation-Synthesis Theory-Theory that dreaming occurs when the cerebral cortex synthesizes neural signals generated from activity in the lower part of the brains attempts to find logic in random brain activity that occurs during sleep.

Detailed explanation-4: -Activation-Synthesis Theory of Dreaming The main idea behind activation-synthesis theory is that dreams are just the brain’s efforts to make sense out of meaningless patterns of firing in the brain as we sleep. Certain circuits in the brain become activated during REM sleep.