Project description
Studying the sleeping mind
Most of us wake from sleep remembering little – just fragments of dreams, if anything. This has led to the belief that sleep is an unconscious state. However, scientists are discovering that our sleeping minds may be far more active than we think. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the DialogueWithSleepers project will communicate with sleepers in real time. Using subtle signals such as facial twitches, participants can respond to questions while still asleep. The team is exploring why responses vary, how the sleeping brain processes information, and whether sleepers are aware of their own responses. This research offers a rare, first-hand glimpse into the rich inner life that unfolds every night.
Objective
After waking from a sound sleep, we typically remember little of what transpired during the night. The common assumption is thus that sleep is unconscious. Yet, what is recalled in the morning offers only the tiniest glimpse into the Pandora’s box of our sleeping minds. For instance, repeatedly awakening individuals to probe the last thing on their mind reveals frequent experiences across sleep stages. Further, studies of brain responses reveal sophisticated environmental processing during sleep. During fleeting moments, sleepers can even respond to questions using subtle signals, like twitching. We propose to take advantage of this real-time dialogue with sleeping people to get a first-hand glimpse into the sleeping mind, unobscured by the memory deficits that usually shield us from knowing what happens each night.
Our first project will first elucidate why sleeping people communicate inconsistently. By studying sleepers’ responses to analogous questions posed in three different sensory modalities, we will test whether responsiveness is bottlenecked by global variations in markers of consciousness or by modality-specific sensory disconnection. Our novel response methodology will also allow us to detect whether sleepers form the intention to respond, regardless of their behavioral responses. Next, we will initiate communication throughout a full night’s sleep to query sleepers about conscious experiences in all sleep stages. By posing questions that require a metacognitive judgment, we can directly evaluate how metacognition, a process closely linked with higher order aspects of consciousness, changes throughout sleep. Immediately after responding, sleepers will be awoken to report their experiences to assess whether sleepers report conscious access of responses given. This synergistic combination of methods has the potential to reveal previously intractable mysteries of the sleeping mind, such as the nature of experiences forgotten upon awakening.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CB2 1TN CAMBRIDGE
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.