Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026
08:06
Eye Movement Monitoring of Memory
Published on: August 15, 2010
REM sleep eye movement counts correlate with visual imagery in dreaming: a pilot study
C C Hong1, S G Potkin, J S Antrobus
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of California, Irvine, USA.
Psychophysiology
|May 1, 1997
Summary
Eye movements during REM sleep are linked to visual imagery in dreams. This study found a strong association in the minute before waking, supporting the idea that these movements are visually guided saccades.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Previous research suggested REM sleep eye movements (EM) are visually targeted saccades.
- This study aimed to further investigate the link between EM and visual imagery during dreaming (V).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the correlation between REM sleep eye movements and visual imagery in dreams.
- To provide further evidence for the hypothesis that REM sleep eye movements are visually targeted saccades.
Main Methods:
- Observations were conducted on a single individual (N=11) during the second REM sleep period.
- The study analyzed the association between the number of eye movements and visual imagery, controlling for dream report length.
Main Results:
- A strong association was found between visual imagery (V) and eye movements (EM) specifically within the 1-minute interval preceding awakening.
- This association remained significant even when dream report length was partialled out.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that REM sleep eye movements are visually targeted saccades.
- The observed temporal correlation suggests a phasic, localized activation of the eye-movement-control system during REM sleep.
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