The frequency of observer dreams in Parkinson's disease patients and relation with clinical variables.
Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology July 17, 2026 Paulo Bugalho
About 12% of dreams reported by people with Parkinson's disease are observer dreams, where the dreamer watches without participating. This rate matches that seen in younger populations. The frequency of such dreams is lower in patients with worse motor function, especially bradykinesia, suggesting a link between dream content and the brain circuits affected by neurodegeneration.