Cartoon Neurology

[Castro Viejo]

OK, so here's an unresolved question sparked by a discussion amongst a bunch of General Surgery residents over in the General Residency forum.

This has to do with "Batman -- The Animated Series," a cartoon that ran in the 1990s.

In one episode in 1992, Batman is kidnapped or something and for the purposes of trying to keep him preoccupied (I believe) so that Gotham City can be run by criminals, he is induced in some semi-permanent dream state where he is always dreaming. Dreaming about being Batman, Bruce Wayne, and all that other stuff through some super computer machine.

To make a long story short, Batman comes to the realization that he's in a dream state and not in reality because he picks up a book in his massive library, opens a page, and sees that the words are too confusing to read. He surmises then that he must be in a "dream state" because "dreams are controlled by one side of the brain while reading is controlled by the other side" and that's why one cannot read in a dream.

Is this true? I'm being totally serious. This is an urgent Neurology consult!

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[neurologist]

OK, so here's an unresolved question sparked by a discussion amongst a bunch of General Surgery residents over in the General Residency forum.

This has to do with "Batman -- The Animated Series," a cartoon that ran in the 1990s.

In one episode in 1992, Batman is kidnapped or something and for the purposes of trying to keep him preoccupied (I believe) so that Gotham City can be run by criminals, he is induced in some semi-permanent dream state where he is always dreaming. Dreaming about being Batman, Bruce Wayne, and all that other stuff through some super computer machine.

To make a long story short, Batman comes to the realization that he's in a dream state and not in reality because he picks up a book in his massive library, opens a page, and sees that the words are too confusing to read. He surmises then that he must be in a "dream state" because "dreams are controlled by one side of the brain while reading is controlled by the other side" and that's why one cannot read in a dream.

Is this true? I'm being totally serious. This is an urgent Neurology consult!

I think the lateralization theory for dreaming is falling by the wayside.

I've never heard of being unable to read in a dream. Then again, I can't recall ever having a dream where I've been reading either. Perhaps I'll try tonight.

I have heard "you can't die in a dream," though, with the argument being that your brain/subconscious, never having actually died, has no concept of what death is like, so it can't conjure up any dream-death imagery. Anyone wanna touch that one?

 

[Sir Elroy]

I think the lateralization theory for dreaming is falling by the wayside.

I've never heard of being unable to read in a dream. Then again, I can't recall ever having a dream where I've been reading either. Perhaps I'll try tonight.

I have heard "you can't die in a dream," though, with the argument being that your brain/subconscious, never having actually died, has no concept of what death is like, so it can't conjure up any dream-death imagery. Anyone wanna touch that one?

I don't know enough to argue one way or another, but I wouldn't be surprised if both are just made-up theories that don't have much scientific backing. But who knows.

As for my own dreams (if personal experience stands for anything), I never have been able to read in a dream. When I've "tried", it was as though my mind couldn't focus enough or put together sufficient detail to envision so many letters on a page. As for the "can't die in a dream" thing, I think that's bunk, because I have. My mind just made up some "out-of-body" or bizarre segue after the "death." In fact, I remember one time having a falling-through-air dream, and in this specific instance I actually did hit the ground. I just remember feeling...uh...flat.

But that's all anecdotal.

 

[buckley]

I know I once had a dream about getting shot in the head (hole in my forehead with blood and gore) and the dream lasted quite a while with DREAM ME wondering what I do next now that I am dead...so does that n=1 prove one can die in a dream? but then again, the similar counterargument stands since DREAM ME was aware of the fact that I am dead but is still able to "think" so I was not dead-DEAD...but then again, what data do we have that dead people really stop "thinking"? Twilight zone theme... Hahaha...let's just say it was one weird dream at a very stressful moment in my life...teeheehee

As for reading in a dream, I can't say that I have...but I'll let you know if I do...

 

[Shalom77]

I've died several times in dreams so I don't think not being able to die in a dream is true. I think though that after I died, I pretty much immediately woke up from the dream so I didn't spend a lot of time in a "dead" state in my dream.

I did have a dream the other night where I was "reading" a pager. So at the very least one can read numbers in a dream. (Although I was somehow unable to dial these numbers without the phone hanging up on me.) But I think there was some text as well.

 

[nycdoc22]

1. I used to love that cartoon and vividly remember that episode. I've often thought about that very episode.

2. Dreaming is not lateralized

3. I can recall reading during dreams.... (...then again i am a sleep doctor).


great thread...

 

[YehudeiAshkenaz]

I've read in a lot of my dreams, and can recall several of them. I've never died in a dream, nor have I been seriously injured (that I can recall), so I dunno about that.