The neuroscience of lucid dreaming: Past, present, future.
Paul Zerr, Nico Adelhöfer, Martin Dresler
Neuron April 3, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.03.008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Dreaming Lucid dreaming |
| Key findings | Recent advances in wearable neurotechnology, large-scale collaborations, citizen neuroscience, and artificial intelligence are increasingly facilitating the decoding of lucid dreaming. |
Abstract
Lucid dreaming allows conscious awareness and control of vivid dream states; however, its rarity and instability make neuroscientific experimentation challenging. Recent advances in wearable neurotechnology, large-scale collaborations, citizen neuroscience, and artificial intelligence increasingly facilitate the decoding of this intriguing phenomenon.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on lucid dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming | 2019 | Review | |
| My Dream, My Rules: Can Lucid Dreaming Treat Nightmares? | 2019 | Review | |
| What about dreams? State of the art and open questions | 2022 | Review | |
| The Dream of God: How Do Religion and Science See Lucid Dreaming and Other Conscious States During Sleep? | 2020 | Review | |
| Insight and Dissociation in Lucid Dreaming and Psychosis | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Electrophysiological Correlates of Lucid Dreaming: Sensor and Source Level Signatures. Journal of Neuroscience May 14, 2025
- The clinical neuroscience of lucid dreaming. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews January 14, 2025
- Lucid dreaming of a prior virtual-reality experience with ego-transcendent qualities: a proof-of-concept study. Neuroscience of Consciousness 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
and 1 more in the library
Cites 10
- The cognitive neuroscience of lucid dreaming Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 14, 2019
- Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. Current Biology April 12, 2021
- Are Lucid Dreams Good for Us? Are We Asking the Right Question? A Call for Caution in Lucid Dream Research Frontiers in Neuroscience January 24, 2020
- Lucid dreaming occurs in activated rapid eye movement sleep, not a mixture of sleep and wakefulness. Sleep April 11, 2022
- A systematic review of new empirical data on lucid dream induction techniques. Journal of Sleep Research June 1, 2023
and 5 more in the library