The authors examined correlations between anxiety and hostility levels
experienced during wakefulness, rapid eye movement (REM) dreaming, nonrapid
eye movement (NREM) mentation (as assessed by the Gottschalk- Gleser
Content Analysis Scales), and cerebral glucose metabolism as measured by
positron-emission tomography (PET) in 30 normal volunteers. Different
cerebral areas showed significant correlations for anxiety and six anxiety
subscales, hostility outward, hostility inward, and ambivalent hostility,
as assessed by the patterns of significant positive or negative
correlations found with the activation of these emotions. Significant
correlations occurred more often in waking and REM dreaming subjects than
NREM subjects and were more common in the frontal, parietal, and temporal
lobes than in the occipital lobe. Correlations tended to be positive for
waking subjects and negative for REM subjects.Abstract Teaser