heiDOK (Heidelberg University)
January 1, 2010
Valdas Noreika, Jennifer Windt, Bigna Lenggenhager et al.
54 citations
Brain imaging studies of lucid dreaming have revealed correlations with neural activity, but causal methods are needed to understand the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in metacognitive insight during dreams. The authors propose using transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and galvanic vestibular stimulation to directly interfere with neural functioning during sleep. They argue that aspects of dream lucidity can be investigated in ordinary, nonlucid dreams, enabling more comprehensive and efficient experiments. This approach would deepen understanding of self-consciousness in dreams and integrate dream research into broader neurophilosophical theories of consciousness and the self.
Frontiers in neurology
January 1, 2019
Carla Thür, Marte Roel Lesur, Christopher J Bockisch et al.
12 citations
The sense of having a body depends on integrating multiple senses and prior beliefs, but the role of the vestibular system—which detects gravity—is not well understood. In an experiment, participants viewed a virtual body in front of them through a head-mounted display while receiving tactile stimulation on their back either synchronously or asynchronously. Tilting the virtual body created a conflict between visual and gravity-related cues about body orientation. Self-identification with the virtual body decreased when this visuo-graviceptive conflict was present.
Nature communications
August 13, 2025
William Wong, Rubén Herzog, Kátia Cristine Andrade et al.
10 citations
A new open database, the DREAM database, combines standardized sleep magneto/electroencephalography (M/EEG) recordings with dream reports from 505 participants across 20 datasets, totaling 2,643 awakenings. Each awakening includes at least 20 seconds of high-resolution sleep EEG (≥100 Hz, ≥2 electrodes) and a classification of the sleeper's reported experience. Analyses showed that reports of conscious experiences during sleep can be predicted from objective EEG features in both REM and NREM sleep. The database aims to overcome limitations of small sample sizes and methodological variability in dream research, enabling larger-scale investigations of the neurocognitive basis of dreaming.
Scientific reports
March 13, 2024
Matt P D Gwyther, Bigna Lenggenhager, Jennifer M Windt et al.
3 citations
People with stronger depersonalisation traits—feeling detached from their own body—report more frequent dreams from an outside-observer perspective and more dreams with distinct or altered bodily sensations, along with more nightmares and higher dream recall. They also show weaker body boundaries and less trust in internal bodily signals while awake. These findings suggest that dreaming does not provide a temporary escape from depersonalisation symptoms; instead, the dream state mirrors the waking disruptions in sense of self and body.
Consciousness and cognition
August 1, 2023
Burak Erdeniz, Ege Tekgün, Bigna Lenggenhager et al.
2 citations
Most people experience dreams from a first-person perspective (82%) rather than a third-person perspective (18%). Regardless of perspective, dreamers typically perceive other dream characters within close peripersonal space—either 0–90 cm or 90–180 cm—rather than farther away (180–270 cm). Dream characters are most often seen from eye level (0° viewing angle) rather than above or below. The intensity of bodily self-consciousness in dreams is higher among those who habitually see other characters closer to their dream self. These findings provide a phenomenological account of spatial representation and felt presence of others in dreams, suggesting that peripersonal space coding and self-other distinction operate similarly in dreaming and waking states.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
April 12, 2019
Valdas Noreika, Jennifer M. Windt, Markus Kern et al.
preprint
Applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the sensorimotor cortex during REM sleep reduces reported dream movement, particularly repetitive actions, without affecting other bodily sensations like touch or balance. This effect coincides with reduced interhemispheric coherence in parietal areas and altered muscle activity correlation between arms. The findings indicate that tDCS causally interferes with the neural mechanisms underlying dream movement, confirming the spatial specificity of the stimulation site and suggesting a reorganization of the motor network during dreaming.