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)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAmong chronic brain syndrome patients, dream recall rates differ by severity of organic impairment and age. Mildly organic patients recalled 57% of dreams, severely organic middle-aged patients recalled 35%, and aged severely organic patients recalled only 8%. The difference between mild and severe middle-aged groups was not statistically significant, but the aged severely organic group's recall was significantly lower than either middle-aged group. Dream content also differed between mild and severe middle-aged groups and between all patients and normal young men.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 17 |
| Population | Chronic brain syndrome patients (seven mild, ten severe middle-aged; plus four aged severely organic) |
| Key finding | 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.