DARPA Seeks to Modulate REM Sleep for Stress and Trauma Adaptation

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ( ) is looking to improve traumatic memory consolidation by modulating REM sleep for stress and trauma adaption. DARPA This month, DARPA issued a for a potential research program called “Rapid Eye Movement Restoration and Enhancement for Sleep-deprived Trauma Adaptation” ( ), which “ .” Disruption Opportunity REM REST aims to identify neural mechanisms and demonstrate the ability to modulate REM sleep that improves stress adaptation and traumatic memory consolidation “Targeted Dream Incubation may have applications as a learning tool that can improve memory consolidation” Science Alert, 2020 Connecting post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) with memory consolidation and REM, DARPA says that: stress “Disrupted REM […] is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and impaired emotional memory consolidation.” Of particular interest to DARPA are “ .” novel applications of existing neuromodulation technologies to target REM sleep and demonstrate the ability to measure and enhance neural mechanisms of stress and trauma adaption According to an MIT Media Lab , “ .” study on dream engineering nearly any sensory stimuli has potential for modulating experience in sleep “We present a novel protocol using a new wearable electronic device, Dormio, to automatically generate serial auditory dream incubations at sleep onset, wherein targeted information is repeatedly presented during the hypnagogic period, enabling direct incorporation of this information into dream content, a process we call targeted dream incubation (TDI)” MIT Media Lab, 2020 Although DARPA’s makes no mention of dreams, the idea of modulating and even artificially implanting dreams is not far off. REM REST After all, most dreams occur during REM. In fact, MIT came up with a hand-wearable electronic device called “to automatically generate serial auditory dream incubations at sleep onset, wherein targeted information is repeatedly presented during the hypnagogic period, enabling direct incorporation of this information into dream content, a process we call (TDI).” Dormio targeted dream incubation While targeted dream incubation may be beyond the scope of , says that there is “a similar experimental method called (TMR), which reactivates specific memories that are triggered by a cue delivered during sleep,” which may prove interesting. REM REST Science Alert targeted memory reactivation For , DARPA is looking for proposals that can “evaluate the mechanistic relationship with stress adaptation, traumatic , and/or other related emotional h resilience outcomes.” REM REST memory consolidation ealth and psychological says that “ .” Science Alert TDI may have applications as a learning tool that can improve memory consolidation With that in mind, could targeted dream incubation like in the movie be among the proposals? Inception “Novel solutions to restoring and enhancing the mechanisms by which REM sleep promotes stress and trauma adaptation could provide important breakthroughs for treating sleep disturbances, improving overall sleep quality, and preventing PTSD and other behavioral health outcomes, such as suicide, associated with disrupted REM sleep” DARPA REM REST, 2023 The US Department of Veteran Affairs says that will experience post-traumatic stress disorder at some point in their lives. seven percent of veterans PTSD, according to some researchers, may be looked upon as a disorder of basic memory function. As one states, “Approaching PTSD as a memory disorder, with a specific focus on (re)consolidation opens up exciting, new ways to think about treatment.” study from 2015 And from the University of Tsukuba and the University of Tokyo recently revealed that “adult-born neurons (ABNs) in the hippocampus, which is a brain region associated with memory, are responsible for memory consolidation during REM sleep.” researchers For , the Pentagon’s research funding arm is looking towards “ ” as this “could provide important breakthroughs for treating sleep disturbances, improving overall sleep quality, and preventing PTSD and other behavioral health outcomes, such as suicide, associated with disrupted REM sleep.” REM REST novel solutions to restoring and enhancing the mechanisms by which REM sleep promotes stress and trauma adaptation Last year, under the premise of identifying people at risk of depression and suicide, the Pentagon’s research funding arm launched the , which focused on “aggregating preconscious brain signals to determine what someone believes to be true.” Neural Evidence Aggregation Tool ( NEAT ) program While mental health among soldiers is a serious issue for the Department of Defense, applications coming out of the program have the very real potential to give governments and corporations the ability to hack human beings at the preconscious level. NEAT This article was originally published by on Tim Hinchliffe The Sociable.