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The hypothesized role of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is rich in dreams, in the formation of new associations, has remained anecdotal. We examined the role of REM on creative problem solving, with the Remote Associates Test (RAT). Using a nap paradigm, we manipulated various conditions of prior exposure to elements of a creative problem. Compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM enhanced the formation of associative networks and the integration of unassociated information. Furthermore, these REM sleep benefits were not the result of an improved memory for the primed items. This study shows that compared with quiet rest and non-REM sleep, REM enhances the integration of unassociated information for creative problem solving, a process, we hypothesize, that is facilitated by cholinergic and noradrenergic neuromodulation during REM sleep (Fig 3).
Figure 3: REM sleep facilitates the use of prior information for creative problem solving. Subjects who had REM sleep displayed a significant improvement above NREM and quiet rest groups (P=0.047, 1-way ANOVA and post hoc analysis). Strikingly, although the quiet rest and NREM nap groups received the same priming, they displayed no improvement on the primed RAT items, whereas the REM group improved by almost 40% above the morning performance. (Reprinted from Cai DJ, Mednick SA, Harrison EM, et al. REM, not incubation, improves creativity by priming associative networks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009;106:10130-10134. Copyright 2009 National Academy of Sciences, U S A.)
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