Final answer:
The activation-synthesis theory of dreams, developed by neuroscientist Alan Hobson, is true and suggests that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of neural activities during REM sleep, moving away from psychoanalytic and collective unconscious interpretations of dreams.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the activation-synthesis theory suggests dreaming results from the cortical synthesis and interpretation of neural signals triggered by activity in the lower part of the brain is true.
This theory, developed by neuroscientist Alan Hobson, indicates that dreams are the brain's attempt to make sense of neural activity that occurs during REM sleep. This view contrasts with Freud's psychoanalytic interpretation of dreams containing inherent meaning and Jung's concept of dreams connecting us to the collective unconscious.
The theory has evolved over time, with Hobson suggesting in 2009 that dreaming may be a form of protoconsciousness, wherein our brain constructs a virtual reality to assist us in wakefulness.
His research, including studies on lucid dreams, has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of the dreaming process, indicating that dreams are a biological and spontaneous performance necessary for brain health and processing daily stimuli into long-term memories.
Additionally, modern techniques such as fMRI allow researchers to observe neural activity patterns associated with dreaming, potentially leading to a deeper comprehension of dreams' role in cognitive functions.
These insights emphasize the interaction between the cerebral cortex and subcortical nuclei, including the basal forebrain and limbic systems responsible for attention, memory, emotion, and augmenting cortical functions.