<Research>

During my research on lucidity and the subconscious, I fell into a deficiency in understanding the brain's organelles that help assist the lucid reaction. Prior to this post, I understood that any conscious organism has the ability to experience the lucid state. Later, I understood that this claim is ignorant, for the true cause and reason behind lucidity has not yet been researched. Beside the validity of lucid dreams, we can only "hypothesize" that lucidity is caused by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is one of the few areas deactivated during normal REM, and where memory takes place. Due to my lack of knowledge in neuropsychology, I may be completely wrong in this matter. If we do absolutely know what causes lucid dreams, please subside my rant.

To work backwards, I asked myself numerous questions that may help assist my research. Are there any known patients that are completely, physically unable to perform lucid dreams? Are other animals able to comprehend memory? Is there any known theory why some humans are more able to achieve lucidity than others? Are there any known genetic diseases that stop a person from attaining lucid dreams?

Thanks...

It's hard to answer your questions without being some sort of professional specialist... If you have read Dr. Stephen Laberge's books, you will see that he says that everyone can have lucid dreams. But there are people who have more lucid dreams than other, and those who have had lucid dreams since childhood without having been told what they are and that it's possible.

The entire phenomenon of dreaming is still poorly understood by modern science. While we have a lot of knowledge on the physical and neurological changes that occur during sleep and dreaming, the exact mechanisms which cause dreams as well as the biological "purpose" of dreams are two things which are still being debated. As for lucid dreams, we know even less. With a few notable exceptions (such as the previously mentioned Dr. LaBerge), lucid dreaming is not a fashionable research topic. What this boils down to is that we really don't have concrete answers for the questions in the second half of your post. However, it is theorized by some (such as LaBerge) that anyone who is capable of dreaming is capable of lucid dreaming.

What's your doctorate in? I disagree completely. I think the only thing required to lucid dream is the ability to understand that things we see may not be real. I doubt the dogs, cats... have the ability to comprehend an hallucination or a dream. I think any human in health mental state possesses this ability.