Frequent lucid dreaming associated with increased functional connectivity between frontopolar cortex and temporoparietal association areas
Benjamin Baird, Anna Castelnovo, Olivia Gosseries, Giulio Tononi
Scientific Reports December 6, 2018 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36190-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 28 |
| Population | Individuals with frequent lucid dreams (≥3/week) and controls (≤1 lucid dream/year), matched on age, gender, and dream recall |
| Topics | Lucid dreaming Dreaming |
| Keywords | Temporoparietal junction Angular gyrus Magnetoencephalography Resting State FMRI Functional connectivity Consciousness Electroencephalography Audiology Prefrontal cortex Cognition |
| Citations | 74 |
| Key findings | Frequent lucid dreaming is associated with increased resting-state functional connectivity between left anterior prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal association areas, with no structural brain differences observed. |
Abstract
Humans typically lack awareness that they are dreaming while dreaming. However, at times a remarkable exception occurs and reflective consciousness can be regained while dreaming, referred to as lucid dreaming. While most individuals experience lucid dreams rarely there is substantial variance in lucid dream frequency. The neurobiological basis of lucid dreaming is unknown, but evidence points to involvement of anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) and parietal cortex. This study evaluated the neuroanatomical/neurofunctional correlates of frequent lucid dreams and specifically whether functional connectivity of aPFC is associated with frequent lucid dreams. We analyzed structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging from an exceptional sample of fourteen individuals who reported ≥3 lucid dreams/week and a control group matched on age, gender and dream recall that reported ≤1 lucid dream/year. Compared to controls, the frequent lucid dream group showed significantly increased resting-state functional connectivity between left aPFC and bilateral angular gyrus, bilateral middle temporal gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus, and higher node degree and strength in left aPFC. In contrast, no significant differences in brain structure were observed. Our results suggest that frequent lucid dreaming is associated with increased functional connectivity between aPFC and temporoparietal association areas, regions normally deactivated during sleep.