The Neurobiology of Consciousness: Lucid Dreaming Wakes Up

Advances in brain imaging and EEG recording have improved understanding of the neural basis of consciousness, but progress is limited by paradigms that often neglect subjective experience. Lucid dreaming, where dreamers are aware they are dreaming and can sometimes control the dream, offers a promising yet problematic paradigm for studying consciousness. Early results using lucid dreaming are encouraging and complementary, though preliminary. This paper evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of this approach and interprets recent findings.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Neurobiologists and cognitive scientists are engaged in new efforts to establish the brain basis of consciousness. Progress in brain imaging and in quantitative EEG recording in humans and in unit recording in animals have all contributed to this progress. But progress has been limited by the relative poverty of the paradigms used in these studies, many of which do not take subjective experience into account. One promising, but problematical paradigm, lucid dreaming, has recently been employed with encouraging and complimentary if preliminary results. It is the purpose of this paper to consider the pros and cons of this approach and to interpret the results of the new findings.