Lucid Dreaming Frequency Associated With Grey-White Matter Networks: An Exploratory Multimodal MRI Study.
Journal of Sleep Research August 1, 2026 Nicola De Pisapia, Erdem Taskiran, Stefano Mastino et al.
Lucid dreaming—becoming aware that one is dreaming while still in the dream—blends the sensory richness of REM sleep with waking self-awareness. Using a multimodal brain-imaging technique (mCCA + jICA), this exploratory study identified structural brain features linked to how often people naturally have lucid dreams. Lucid-dream frequency was associated with a joint grey-matter and white-matter component spanning frontal, temporal, parietal, and cerebellar regions involved in metacognition, imagery, and volitional control, plus a grey-matter-specific component in visual and attentional areas such as the cuneus. Ordinary dream recall, by contrast, was linked only to two white-matter-specific components, with no overlap. The results indicate that the tendency for lucid dreams depends on distributed, integrated brain systems distinct from those supporting general dream recall.