The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
May 14, 2025
Çağatay Demirel, Jarrod Gott, Kristoffer Appel et al.
8 citations
Lucid dreaming, where a person becomes aware they are dreaming, is linked to REM sleep. To overcome previous research limitations, a new preprocessing pipeline was applied to pooled EEG data from multiple labs. Sensor-level differences between lucid and nonlucid REM sleep were minimal, but source-level analysis revealed reduced beta power (12-30 Hz) in right central and parietal areas, including the temporoparietal junction, during lucid dreaming. Alpha-band (8-12 Hz) connectivity increased compared to nonlucid REM sleep. During eye signaling of lucidity, gamma1 power (30-36 Hz) increased in right temporo-occipital regions, including the precuneus, and interhemispheric gamma1 connectivity rose. These patterns suggest shifts in network communication underlying changes in perception, self-awareness, and cognitive control.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
April 9, 2024
Çağatay Demirel, Jarrod Gott, Kristoffer Appel et al.
2 citations
preprint
Lucid dreaming, a state of conscious awareness during REM sleep, is associated with specific brain activity patterns. Compared to non-lucid REM sleep, EEG sensor-level differences were few. However, source-level analysis revealed increased gamma1 power (30-36 Hz) in left-hemispheric temporal areas during lucid dreaming, potentially reflecting verbal insight processes, and in right temporo-occipital regions including the precuneus around the onset of lucid eye signaling, linked to self-referential thinking. Beta power (12-30 Hz) decreased in right central and parietal areas including the temporo-parietal junction, possibly related to conscious reality assessment. Alpha-band (8-12 Hz) functional connectivity increased, contrasting with psychedelic states and highlighting enhanced self-awareness.
SLEEP Advances
July 8, 2026
Emma Peters, Xinlin Wang, Johanna Heitmann et al.
Targeted bodily stimulation during REM sleep can affect dream lucidity, but the effects depend on the type of stimulation. Electrical muscle stimulation did not increase lucid awareness, whereas galvanic vestibular stimulation was associated with higher lucidity ratings and questionnaire scores, even though the stimulation was rarely incorporated into dream content directly. The findings suggest that modulating the sense of bodily self during REM sleep may enhance reflective awareness without requiring sensory incorporation into dreams. Non-invasive vestibular stimulation may offer a new way to study lucid dreaming mechanisms.
Consciousness and Cognition
April 13, 2026
Xinlin Wang, Emma Peters, Johannes Strelen et al.
During lucid dreaming, the dreamer is aware they are dreaming. To identify brain network activity linked to this conscious experience, 39 sleep recordings (lucid vs. non-lucid REM sleep) from 8 lucid dreamers were analyzed using EEG microstate analysis. Microstates A and G dominated during lucid REM, while microstates B, C, and D dominated during non-lucid REM. These microstates were associated with emotional processing (A), visual processing (B), salience network activity (C), executive functions (D), and the default mode network (G). Results suggest lucidity involves increased self-visualization, metacognition, and executive processing, with decreased emotional processing and default mode network activity, indicating distinct network dynamics in lucid REM sleep.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
March 13, 2026
Emma Peters, Xinlin Wang, Kathrin Fischer et al.
Lucid dream induction using external sensory stimulation has often relied on lights or sounds, with mixed success. This study tested whether direct bodily stimulation—electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS)—could induce lucid dreams. Twenty-eight participants completed two morning naps: one with stimulation during REM sleep and one with sham control. EMS and GVS did not increase stimulus incorporation. Lucidity rates were high in both EMS conditions, suggesting baseline lucidity, cognitive training, and expectations played a role. However, GVS significantly increased externally rated lucidity and DLQ questionnaire scores compared to control, indicating that galvanic vestibular stimulation can enhance dream lucidity.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
March 12, 2026
Emma Peters, Johanna Heitmann, Nicolas Morath et al.
Lucid dreaming, where the dreamer knows they are dreaming, can be triggered in a lab by training people to associate the sleep laboratory with reflective awareness before sleep. In three studies with 101 participants, a morning nap followed verbal instructions and audio primes. Some conditions added immersive virtual reality rehearsal of the lab, haptic stimulation during REM sleep, or virtual reality with fake system errors. Across all conditions, 40-45% of dreams were rated lucid, and 11-32% were signal-verified lucid dreams. However, the extra virtual reality and haptic techniques did not increase lucidity compared to the basic lab training alone. This suggests that simply training people to recognize the lab context is a powerful method.
University Library Heidelberg
March 10, 2026
Xinlin Wang, Johanna Heitmann, Lorenzo de Neri et al.
Lucid dreaming is a state where dreamers know they are dreaming and may control dream content. It offers a model for studying cognition during sleep and potential therapeutic uses, but reliable induction methods remain under investigation. This study combined Tholey's critical reflection technique with an acoustic cue to induce lucid dreams. Participants completed a two-day training on a reality-check task paired with the cue, then spent a night in the lab where the same cue was played during REM sleep. Of 15 participants, one reported a lucid dream meeting strict criteria. Future research should refine the experimental design.
Current Issues in Sport Science
February 7, 2024
Emma Peters, Xinlin Wang, Martin Dresler et al.
Three types of bodily stimulation—electrical forearm muscle stimulation (EMS), galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS), and haptic vibration (HS)—were applied during REM sleep to test how often each is incorporated into dream content. Across three nights, 23.2% of EMS dreams and 23.5% of HS dreams included arm movement, while balance-related activity appeared in roughly 6–8% of dreams for all three methods. Tactile or somatosensory sensations occurred in 13.6% of EMS dreams but in none of the GVS dreams. After accounting for sham stimulation, EMS produced the strongest dream incorporation, particularly for tactile sensations. GVS appeared ineffective, possibly due to methodological issues. The findings suggest EMS may be a promising technique for future lucid dream induction.