Electrophysiological Correlates of Lucid Dreaming: Sensor and Source Level Signatures.
Çağatay Demirel, Jarrod Gott, Kristoffer Appel, Katharina Lüth, Christian Fischer, Cecilia Raffaelli, Britta Westner, Xinlin Wang, Zsófia Zavecz, Axel Steiger, Daniel Erlacher, Stephen LaBerge, Sérgio Mota-Rolim, Sidarta Ribeiro, Marcel Zeising, Nico Adelhöfer, Martin Dresler
Journal of Neuroscience May 14, 2025 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2237-24.2025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with pooled EEG data across laboratories Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 44 |
| Population | Human participants (male and female) |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming Dreaming |
| Keywords | Metacognition Self-awareness Lucid-dreaming lucid dreams Consciousness awareness Sleep-science rem sleep Neuroscience brain activity Neural patterns Brain imaging |
| Citations | 8 |
| Key findings | Lucid dreaming is characterized by reduced beta power in right central and parietal regions, increased alpha-band connectivity, and increased gamma1 power and connectivity during eye signaling, indicating distinct neural dynamics. |
Abstract
Lucid dreaming (LD) is a state of conscious awareness of the ongoing oneiric state, predominantly linked to REM sleep. Progress in understanding its neurobiological basis has been hindered by small sample sizes, diverse EEG setups, and artifacts like saccadic eye movements. To address these challenges in characterizing the electrophysiological correlates of LD, we introduced an adaptive multistage preprocessing pipeline, applied to human data (male and female) pooled across laboratories, allowing us to explore sensor- and source-level markers of LD. We observed that, while sensor-level differences between LD and nonlucid REM sleep were minimal, mixed-frequency analysis revealed broad low alpha to gamma power reductions during LD compared with wakefulness. Source-level analyses showed significant beta power (12-30 Hz) reductions in right central and parietal areas, including the temporoparietal junction, during LD. Moreover, functional connectivity in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) increased during LD compared with nonlucid REM sleep. During initial LD eye signaling compared with the baseline, source-level gamma1 power (30-36 Hz) increased in right temporo-occipital regions, including the right precuneus. Finally, functional connectivity analysis revealed increased interhemispheric and inter-regional gamma1 connectivity during LD, reflecting widespread network engagement. These results suggest that distinct source-level power and connectivity patterns characterize the dynamic neural processes underlying LD, including shifts in network communication and regional activation that may underlie the specific changes in perception, memory processing, self-awareness, and cognitive control. Taken together, these findings illuminate the electrophysiological correlates of LD, laying the groundwork for decoding the mechanisms of this intriguing state of consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Neural Correlates of Dream Lucidity Obtained from Contrasting Lucid versus Non-Lucid REM Sleep: A Combined EEG/fMRI Case Study Experienced lucid dreamers | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 4 |
| Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. Individuals during REM sleep, including frequent lucid dreamers, a novice, and a... | 2021 | Observational study | n = 36 |
| Lucid Dreaming in Narcolepsy Consecutive patients with narcolepsy and healthy controls | 2015 | Case-control study | n = 106 |
| Metacognitive Mechanisms Underlying Lucid Dreaming Human participants split into high- and low-lucidity groups based on reported dream... | 2015 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Using Real-time Reporting to Investigate Visual Experiences in Dreams Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience September 30, 2025
- Inducing Lucid Dreaming Based on a Contemplative Practice of Compassion Brain Sciences March 16, 2026
- Advanced meditation, sleep, and consciousness science: An emerging frontier. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews August 1, 2026
- Facilitating unusual bodily experiences and out-of-body experiences across wakefulness and sleep: A high-density EEG and neurophenomenology study Consciousness and Cognition February 11, 2026
- Investigating dreams by strategically presenting sounds during REM sleep to reactivate waking experiences. Neuropsychologia October 10, 2025
and 2 more in the library
Cites 49
- Consciousness as Integrated Information: a Provisional Manifesto Biological Bulletin December 1, 2008
- Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 11, 2016
- Linking Out-of-Body Experience and Self Processing to Mental Own-Body Imagery at the Temporoparietal Junction Journal of Neuroscience January 19, 2005
- Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Sleep September 1, 2009
- Out-of-body experience, heautoscopy, and autoscopic hallucination of neurological origin Brain Research Reviews July 13, 2005
and 44 more in the library