The Phenomenology of Offline Perception: Multisensory Profiles of Voluntary Mental Imagery and Dream Imagery.
Vision (Basel, Switzerland) April 21, 2025 Maren Bilzer, Merlin Monzel 6 citations
Both voluntary mental imagery and dream imagery are multisensory representations that occur without external stimuli, classifiable as offline perceptions. In 226 participants, correlations between sensory modalities within each state (waking or dreaming) were significantly stronger than across states, suggesting two distinct neural networks. However, the link between vividness of voluntary mental imagery and dream imagery grew stronger with higher dream recall frequency and lucid dreaming, indicating greater network overlap when metacognition is elevated. Emotional and visual imagery were more vivid in dreams, reflecting dreams' immersive nature and visual dominance across wake and sleep.