The narcoleptic approach paradigm (NAP) for the direct study of dreams and dream sleep functions.

A new sleep research paradigm, the Narcoleptic Approach Paradigm (NAP), was developed to enable direct psychological and physiological investigations of isolated dream sleep (also called rapid eye movement or REM sleep) and nondream sleep (non-REM or NREM). Essential to NAP is the cooperation of individuals with narcolepsy, who frequently have REM sleep onset. Narcoleptic animals may also be used for more convenient and extensive physiological NAP investigations. Several cogent psychological and physiological design variations of the general NAP model are outlined and one investigation successfully utilizing NAP is described to illustrate its power, sensitivity and broad use in neuroscientific sleep research.