Wondering just what quarry Rex is chasing in his fevered dreams? What kind of string-mounted toy Fifi wants for her birthday? What your turtle really thinks of you? For the answers, just tap into your pet's own latenite closed circuit cable tv show: make a pet dream video.

Back in 1999, Stanley et al. (J. Neurosci. 19:8036-42) reported the 'reconstruction of natural scenes from ensemble responses in the [cat] lateral geniculate nucleus.' Put simply, they monitored the activities of 177 neurons in a key region of the cat brain's sight pathway, and used the signals to reconstruct a low-res monochrome image of the cat's visual field. They got nice clear pics of woods, human faces, &c. out (whatever they showed the cat in question).

Taking their work a step further, why not monitor the same neurons during REM sleep, and reconstruct a video of the cat's dream? Though I don't know about the LGN per se, the thalamus it forms part of is certainly implicated in REM sleep and dreaming. So who knows what you'd find... monitoring a dog's dream, perhaps you'd see yourself animated, with an outsized food-giving, fur-stroking, comfy-smelling hand (ok, the smell pathway is a different challenge). And for some -real- video entertainment, dim the lights, nuke some popcorn, and break out the catnip...
-- n-pearson, Jun 18 2003

Stanley et al http://www.jneurosc...ent/full/19/18/8036
Link may not work. [bungston, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Abstract - Stanley et al http://www.ncbi.nlm...79703&dopt=Abstract
This link will work, but no pictures. [bungston, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

Here are those pics! http://www.berkeley...acy/10-15-1999.html
OK - free access look at the cat brain pics. [bungston, Oct 05 2004, last modified Oct 17 2004]

This sounded like scifi to me, but those pictures captured from cat branes (sorry - unlinkable) were actually pretty good. I am surprised that there is no citation of real world recording from the cats - dreaming, awake, etc. I suspect this says something about the state of these poor cats, which in turn will earn this idea a basket of bones from the PETA inclined.

But I wonder if dreams actually use the same sensory reception mechanisms to artificially generate sensations, or if these are generated in the interpretive centers. I have put a chunk of hamburger under the nose of a sleeping dog with an apparent increase in dream running/barking so maybe those sensory areas stay active.

You get a bun from me for pointing out that interesting paper.
-- bungston, Jun 18 2003


So all I have to do is cut Kitty's head open, cut a hole in the skull, insert medical probes...

Kitty ain't gonna like this. (-)
-- Cedar Park, Jun 18 2003


Link please.
-- Gulherme, Jun 19 2003


If available. But a link to the general vicinity of what [bung] found would be helpful as well.
-- Worldgineer, Jun 19 2003


//dustin has begun moaning in his sleep lately, for long periods of time//

bliss, how can I put this? has he been done?
-- po, Jun 19 2003


Did you take him to the city dump?
-- thumbwax, Jun 19 2003


Can we go back to the bit about drilling holes in cat's crania ? I was really enjoying that part.

I'm not sure I do want to know what my dog dreams about. Maybe he's actullay remembering some huge scary monster that really does creep around my house while all the humans are sleeping .....
-- 8th of 7, Jun 19 2003


I was thinking much the same - it might actually cause our heads to cave in if we see reality as experienced by cats or dogs.
-- po, Jun 19 2003


Cat: "where's that stupid, huge, lumbering cat with my dinner?" (whirrrrrr!) "CAN OPENER! YAY!"
-- Cedar Park, Jun 20 2003


//I don't thinks cats are sentient// don't know much about cats obviously
-- po, Jun 20 2003


Not sentient, eh? That's just what cats -want- you to think...
-- n-pearson, Jun 20 2003


I think anyone of the cats, if they were here would, nonchalantly lick themselves from a. to elbow. what? me? who cares? yawn...
-- po, Jun 20 2003


Hello Miss Po, U R right as always <yawn>
-- The Kat, Jun 20 2003


<strokes Kat> do Kats like sugar cubes?
-- po, Jun 20 2003



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