Dreams and Dementia: A Laboratory Exploration of Dream Recall and Dream Content in Chronic Brain Syndrome Patients
Milton Kramer, Thomas Roth, John Trinder
The International Journal of Aging and Human Development May 1, 1975 DOI: 10.2190/x9a5-12d7-mv2a-tq7e (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17 |
| Population | Chronic brain syndrome patients (seven mild, ten severe middle-aged; plus four aged severely organic) |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Aged severely organic patients had a dream recall rate of 8%, significantly lower than the 57% and 35% recall rates of mild and severe middle-aged patients. |
Abstract
Seventeen (seven mild and ten severe) chronic brain syndrome patients were tested in the sleep laboratory for dream recall and content. The mildly organic patients had 57 per cent recall while the severely organic patients had 35 per cent recall. We also studied four aged severely organic patients. These patients showed a recall rate of 8 per cent. The difference between the recall rates in mildly and severely organic middle-aged patients was not statistically significant. The difference between the recall rates of the aged severely organic patients and either or both of the middle-aged groups was statistically significant (p < .001). In addition, we found dream content differences between the mildy and severely organic middle-aged groups and between the combined group and normal young men.
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 |
| The prevalence of nightmares and their independence from anxiety. Undergraduates | 1990 | Observational study using daily dream logs | n = 220 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Factors of home dream recall: a structural equation model Journal of Sleep Research May 12, 2003
- A new neurocognitive theory of dreams. Dreaming March 1, 2001
- Dream Recall: State or Trait Variable? Part I: Model, Theories, Methodology and Trait Factors Imagination, Cognition and Personality October 1, 1996
- Dreams and dreaming among the elderly: An overview Aging & Mental Health February 1, 1999
- Poor dream recall associates with Alzheimer's disease biomarkers and dementia risk Alzheimer S and Dementia Diagnosis Assessment and Disease Monitoring March 30, 2026
and 5 more in the library