People with narcolepsy are far more likely to experience lucid dreaming—being aware that they are dreaming while still asleep—than healthy individuals. In a case-control study, 77.4% of 53 narcolepsy patients reported having lucid dreams, compared to 49.1% of 53 controls, averaging 7.6 lucid dreams per month versus 0.3. During monitored naps, 7 of 12 narcoleptic frequent lucid dreamers (but none of 5 controls) successfully signaled from a lucid REM sleep state. Brain wave analysis showed lower delta, theta, and alpha power and reduced frontal coherence during lucid versus non-lucid REM sleep, along with longer REM duration. The findings suggest narcolepsy provides a useful model for studying lucid dreaming.
Using a new rodent model of reversible brain anoxia with continuous electrocorticographic (ECoG) and intracellular recordings, the authors tracked neocortical dynamics from oxygen deprivation through recovery. Oxygen loss caused an early surge of beta-gamma activity with rhythmic membrane depolarizations in pyramidal neurons, followed by low-frequency activity declining to isoelectric levels. During the isoelectric state, a massive depolarizing shift produced a large triphasic ECoG wave known as the "wave-of-death" (WoD). If re-oxygenation occurred within 2–3.5 minutes, this anoxic depolarization reversed. The subsequent slow repolarization generated a second ECoG wave termed "wave-of-resuscitation," marking recovery of pre-anoxic activity. The WoD is not a biomarker of irremediable death; the new wave may predict successful recovery.