A primer on sleeping, dreaming, and psychoactive agents

Csiernik, Rick; Pirie, Maeghan

doi:10.1080/1533256x.2022.2159641

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 79 publications

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“…The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https:// www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/brainsci14050426/s1, File S1: we describe the circadian and homeostatic processes that regulate sleep, and the main neurotransmitters that control REM sleep" [97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114].…”

Section: Supplementary Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review

Oldoni,

Bacchi,

Mendes

et al. 2024

Brain Sciences

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Lucid dreaming (LD) is a physiological state of consciousness that occurs when dreamers become aware that they are dreaming, and may also control the oneiric content. In the general population, LD is spontaneously rare; thus, there is great interest in its induction. Here, we aim to review the literature on neuropsychopharmacological induction of LD. First, we describe the circadian and homeostatic processes of sleep regulation and the mechanisms that control REM sleep with a focus on neurotransmission systems. We then discuss the neurophysiology and phenomenology of LD to understand the main cortical oscillations and brain areas involved in the emergence of lucidity during REM sleep. Finally, we review possible exogenous substances—including natural plants and artificial drugs—that increase metacognition, REM sleep, and/or dream recall, thus with the potential to induce LD. We found that the main candidates are substances that increase cholinergic and/or dopaminergic transmission, such as galantamine. However, the main limitation of this technique is the complexity of these neurotransmitter systems, which challenges interpreting results in a simple way. We conclude that, despite these promising substances, more research is necessary to find a reliable way to pharmacologically induce LD.

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