Poor dream recall associates with Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and dementia risk
Darren M. Lipnicki, Meritxell Valenti, Elizabeth Lucia Valeriano‐Lorenzo, Ashleigh S. Vella, María Ascensión Zea‐Sevilla, Mario Ricciardi, Belén Frades, Minerva Martinez, Sonia Wagner, Perminder S. Sachdev, Teodoro del Ser, Pascual Sanchez‐Juan
Alzheimer S and Dementia Diagnosis Assessment and Disease Monitoring March 30, 2026 DOI: 10.1002/dad2.70322 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,049 |
| Population | Cognitively normal adults |
| Duration | 10-year follow-up |
| Topics | Default mode network Dreaming |
| Keywords | Dementia Recall Dream Cognition Cognitive decline Episodic memory Biomarker Association psychology Alzheimer's disease Clinical psychology Gerontology Developmental psychology Hippocampal formation |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Higher p-tau217 levels and APOE ε4 carriage are each associated with lower odds of dream recall, and lack of dream recall predicts faster cognitive decline and higher dementia risk over 10 years. |
Abstract
Abstract INTRODUCTION Dreaming is subserved by the default mode network (DMN) and can be abolished by focal lesions within key regions. DMN dysfunction is promoted by pre‐clinical Alzheimer's pathology and apolipoprotein E ( APOE ) ε4 carriage, but any effects of these on dreaming are unknown.
Methods: Associations between dream recall and APOE ε4 carriage and blood phosphorylated tau (p‐tau) 217 levels were determined using data for 1049 cognitively normal adults. Associations between dream recall and cognitive decline and dementia risk were also investigated.
Results: Higher p‐tau217 levels and APOE ε4 carriage were both associated with lower chances of dream recall, independently of memory test scores and other covariates. Not recalling dreams at baseline was associated with faster cognitive decline and greater likelihood of dementia over 10 years of follow‐up.
Discussion: Poor dream recall in later life may be a novel and easily assessed indicator of early neurodegeneration.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on dreaming, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucid Dreaming: a State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming Student volunteers trained to become lucid and signal lucidity with horizontal eye... | 2009 | Observational study | n = 6 |
| Nightmare Prevalence, Nightmare Distress, and Self-Reported Psychological Disturbance Young adults with a mean age of 20 years | 2002 | Prospective observational study | n = 116 |
| Long-term effects of extreme situational stress on sleep and dreaming Survivors of traumatic events who complained of sleep disturbances, compared with... | 1987 | Case-control study | n = 11 |
| The relationship of nightmare frequency and nightmare distress to well‐being Adults who reported dreams | 2004 | Observational cohort | n = 147 |
| Dreaming in NREM Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study of Slow Waves and Spindles Healthy human subjects | 2018 | Observational cohort | n = 14 |
Citations in the library
Cites 15
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Development of the Brain's Default Mode Network from Wakefulness to Slow Wave Sleep Cerebral Cortex February 17, 2011
- A dream EEG and mentation database. Nature Communications August 13, 2025
- Disturbing dreams and dementia incidence across diverse cohort studies: A COSMIC collaboration study Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences March 17, 2026
- The association of brain injury severity with dream cessation and nightmares. Neuropsychologia June 19, 2025
and 10 more in the library