Nature Communications (Aug 2018)

Smooth tracking of visual targets distinguishes lucid REM sleep dreaming and waking perception from imagination

  • Stephen LaBerge,
  • Benjamin Baird,
  • Philip G. Zimbardo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05547-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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When tracking a moving object, our eyes make smooth pursuit movements; however, tracking an imaginary object produces jerky saccadic eye movements. Here, the authors show that during lucid dreams, the eyes smoothly follow dreamed objects. In this respect, dream imagery is more similar to perception than imagination.