Lucid, Prelucid, and Nonlucid Dreams Related to the Amount of EEG Alpha Activity during REM Sleep

Abstract

Alpha activity during REM sleep without signs of awakening can discriminate between the blind classification of prelucid, lucid, and nonlucid dreams. Ten good dream recallers were aroused after relatively high or low amplitude REM alpha. The spectral and temporal characteristics of EEG alpha within each REM period were associated with lucidity and other content dimensions. Each type of dream had a reasonably distinct pattern of REM alpha. High amplitude alpha was found to be associated with prelucid dreams and bizarre content, which is consistent with theories of waking alpha activity and the hypothesis that lucidity sometimes emerges from prelucid experiences. The data are also consistent with the idea that lucidity is a viable dream content dimension, and interpreted in terms of systems theory imply that training which emphasizes dream content control may constrain the potential information integration function of lucid dreams.

Spectral Structure and Brain Mapping of Human Alpha Activities in Different Arousal States

“…This supports the hypothesis that cortical centers involved in language are activated when people speak or hear in dreaming, providing additional evidence that neural systems used in wakefulness are also used in dreaming. Furthermore, other authors [28] reported that the amount of alpha activity in REM sleep was succesfully used to discriminate prelucid dreams (higher power) from nonlucid and lucid dreams. Prelucid experiences are evoked by highly emotional, irrational, or incongruous dreams, and are characterized by the critical attitude toward the dream, questioning its apparent reality.…”

“…All these findings would suggest that alpha activity during REM sleep, which is attenuated (blocked?) [27] or augmented [28], depending on the dream content modality, could be linked to the dream occurrence.…”

Auditory Inhibition of Rapid Eye Movements and Dream Recall from REM Sleep

“…[7][8][9] Although there is considerable support for each view, there are methodological and theoretical limitations to both that remain to be resolved before it will be clear which process (if indeed either or both) underlies dream reporting on awakening from sleep. Cortical arousal during sleep has been identified by the appearance of α frequency (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) Hz) EEG activity and has been noted by a number of researchers to be associated with mentation reporting. [1][2][3][4][5][6][10][11][12][13] α Activity is high at sleep onset when hypnopompic images occur.…”

“…Cortical arousal during sleep has been identified by the appearance of α frequency (8)(9)(10)(11)(12) Hz) EEG activity and has been noted by a number of researchers to be associated with mentation reporting. [1][2][3][4][5][6][10][11][12][13] α Activity is high at sleep onset when hypnopompic images occur. 5 Similarly, although sleep terrors occur during slow wave sleep (SWS), EEG indicates increased arousal to that of a wake pattern.…”

“…10 Light sleepers with increased α activity across all sleep stages show an equal frequency of mentation reporting from REM and NREM sleep. 1 Tyson et al 11 proposed dreaming to be a function of cerebral activation. They noted that during REM periods of higher α activity preceding awakening, mentation reports were more vivid and bizarre than those with lower α activity, as judged by an independent rater.…”