Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review

Neuropsychopharmacological Induction of (Lucid) Dreams: A Narrative Review

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 liter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain sciences Vol. 14; no. 5; p. 426
Main Authors: Oldoni, Abel A, Bacchi, André D, Mendes, Fúlvio R, Tiba, Paula A, Mota-Rolim, Sérgio
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01-05-2024
Subjects:
Circadian rhythms
dopamine
Dopamine receptors
dream recall
Dreams
Drug dosages
Emotions
Eye movements
Galantamine
Galanthamine
lucid dreaming
Metacognition
Neurophysiology
Neurotransmission
Oscillations
Physiological aspects
Pramipexole
REM sleep
Reviews
Self awareness
self-consciousness
Sleep
acetylcholinesterase inhibitors
self-consciousness
metacognition
lucid dreaming
acetylcholine
sesquiterpene lactones
dopamine
galantamine
REM sleep
dream recall
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Summary: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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ISSN:2076-3425
2076-3425
DOI:10.3390/brainsci14050426