This article assesses the neurocognitive theory of dreams on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The theory synthesizes findings from 3 strands of dream research, which focus respectively on the neural substrate that subserves dreaming, the development of dreaming in children, and quantitative findings on adult dream content, all 3 of which are necessary ingredients in any theory in cognitive neuroscience (Ochsner & Kosslyn, 2014). The article compares the current standing of the theory with that of 4 other theories with a neural dimension: the Freudian, activation-synthesis, memory-consolidation, and threat-simulation theories of dreaming. It concludes that the neurocognitive theory differs from the other 4 in that many of its key building blocks were created and have since been replicated by independent investigators in 3 different research areas. The other theories lack a developmental dimension, and their claims sometimes do not accord with established findings on dream content. On the other hand, the neurocognitive theory has been strengthened by neuroimaging findings revealing that the neural substrate that enables dreaming is a subsystem of the default network, which supports imagination in waking; it also includes key hubs in the waking self-system, which may help explain the focus on personal concerns in dreams. This subsystem of the default network, when unconstrained and activated, leads dreamers to experience themselves as being in hypothetical scenarios that include vivid sensory environments, which also usually portray interpersonal interactions. Dreaming is an intensified and enhanced form of spontaneous thought that can be characterized as an “embodied simulation.”

中文翻译：

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20 岁梦的神经认知理论：评估和与其他四种梦理论的比较。

这篇文章在其 20 周年之际评估了梦的神经认知理论。该理论综合了 3 条梦研究的发现，分别侧重于促进做梦的神经基质、儿童做梦的发展和成人梦内容的定量发现，所有这 3 条都是认知神经科学任何理论的必要成分。 （奥克斯纳和科斯林，2014 年）。这篇文章将该理论的当前地位与其他 4 种具有神经维度的理论进行了比较：梦的弗洛伊德理论、激活合成理论、记忆巩固理论和威胁模拟理论。它得出的结论是，神经认知理论与其他 4 种理论的不同之处在于，它的许多关键构建块都是由独立研究人员在 3 个不同的研究领域中创建和复制的。其他理论缺乏发展维度，他们的主张有时与梦内容的既定发现不一致。另一方面，神经认知理论得到了神经影像学研究结果的支持，该研究结果表明，促成做梦的神经基质是默认网络的一个子系统，它支持醒来时的想象力；它还包括清醒的自我系统中的关键枢纽，这可能有助于解释梦中对个人关注的关注。默认网络的这个子系统，当不受约束和激活时，导致做梦者体验自己处于假设场景中，这些场景包括生动的感官环境，通常也描绘人际交往。做梦是自发思维的强化和增强形式，可以被描述为“具身模拟”。