(July 27, 2012) Studies of
lucid dreamers visualise which centres of the brain become active when we
become aware of ourselves
Which areas
of the brain help us to perceive our world in a self-reflective manner is
difficult to measure. During wakefulness, we are always conscious of ourselves.
In sleep, however, we are not. But there are people, known as
lucid dreamers, who can become aware of dreaming during sleep. Studies
employing magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) have now been able to demonstrate
that a specific cortical network consisting of the right dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex, the frontopolar regions and the precuneus is activated when
this lucid consciousness is attained. All of these regions are associated with
self-reflective functions. This research into lucid dreaming gives the authors
of the latest study insight into the neural basis of human consciousness.
The human capacity of
self-perception, self-reflection and consciousness development are among the
unsolved mysteries of neuroscience. Despite modern imaging techniques, it is
still impossible to fully visualise what goes on in the brain when people move
to consciousness from an unconscious state. The problem lies in the fact that
it is difficult to watch our brain during this transitional change. Although
this process is the same, every time a person awakens from sleep, the basic
activity of our brain is usually greatly reduced during deep sleep. This makes
it impossible to clearly delineate the specific brain activity underlying the
regained self-perception and consciousness during the transition to wakefulness
from the global changes in brain activity that takes place at the same time.