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Do dreams tell the future? Dream content as a predictor of cognitive deterioration in Parkinson’s disease

P. Bugalho, F. Ladeira, Raquel Barbosa, J. Marto, Cláudia Borbinha, Manuel Salavisa, Laurete da Conceição, Marlene Saraiva, Marco Fernandes, Bruna Meira

Journal of Sleep Research August 9, 2020 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13163 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Prospective longitudinal cohort study Peer reviewed
Sample size 58
Population Non-demented patients with Parkinson’s disease attending an outpatient clinic
Duration 4-year follow-up
Topics Dreaming
Key findings Negative emotion index in dream reports at baseline was the strongest predictor of subsequent cognitive decline over four years in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Abstract

Cross‐sectional studies suggest a correlation between alterations in dream content reports and executive dysfunction tests in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but this has not been assessed in longitudinal studies. Our objective was to assess the predictive value of dream content for progression of cognitive dysfunction in PD. We prospectively addressed all consecutive, non‐demented patients with PD attending an outpatient clinic during a 1‐year period. Dream reports were collected at baseline by means of a dream diary and analysed according to the Hall and Van de Castle system. Patients were assessed at baseline for rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, motor stage, mood disorder and psychosis. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was applied at baseline and 4 years later. Linear regression analysis was used to the test the relation between each dream index (predictors), demographic and other motor and non‐motor variables (covariates), and change in MoCA scores (dependent variable). In all, 58 patients were assessed at both time points and 23 reported at least one dream (range 1–27, total 148). Aggression, physical activities, and negatively toned content predominated in dream reports. The MoCA scores decreased significantly from baseline to follow‐up. In the multivariate model, negative emotion index was the strongest predictor of cognitive decline. We found a significant positive association between negative emotions in dreams at baseline and subsequent reduction in MoCA scores. These findings suggest that some dream content in patients with PD could be considered a predictor of cognitive decline, independent of other factors known to influence either dream content or cognitive deterioration.

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

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