Bad dreams could be an early warning of Parkinson’s disease Background Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with alterations in dream phenomenology , including an increased frequency of distressing dreams. It is unknown whether distressing dreams may precede the development of PD. This study investigated the association between frequent distressing dreams and the risk of incident PD. Methods 3818 men aged 67 years or older from the Men’s Osteoporotic Fracture Study (MrOS), a US population-based cohort surveying the frequency of distressing dreams in the past month, were included in this analysis. Incident PE was based on physician diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for incident PD according to the frequency of distressing dreams, with adjustment for potential confounders. recommendations During a mean follow-up of 7.3 years, 91 (2.4%) cases of incident PE were identified. Participants with frequent distressing dreams at baseline had a two-fold increased risk of incident PD (OR, 2·01; 95% CI, 1·1-3·6, P=0.02). When stratified by follow-up time, frequent distressing dreams were associated with a greater than threefold risk of incident PD during the first 5 years after onset (OR, 3·38; 95% CI, 1·3-8· 7; P=0.01), however, no effect was found over the next 7 years (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 0.7-3.3; P=0.26). Conclusions This study provides evidence for the first time that frequent distressing dreams in community-dwelling older adults may be associated with an increased risk of developing PD. Participants with frequent distressing dreams were almost three times more likely to develop PD in the initial 5 years of follow-up; however, this association had attenuated and was no longer significant over the subsequent 7 years. This suggests that frequent distressing dreams may be a prodromal symptom of PD. As such, screening for late-onset distressing dreams in the general population may help identify individuals at highest risk of developing a rapidly progressing subtype of PD, in whom early interventions could be targeted. Interpretation In this prospective cohort, frequent distressing dreams were associated with an increased risk of incident PD. The association was only significant within 5 years before diagnosis, suggesting that frequent distressing dreams may be a prodromal symptom of PD. |
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Older adults who begin to experience bad dreams or nightmares could be showing the first signs of Parkinson’s disease, say researchers at the University of Birmingham.
A new study, published in eClinicalMedicine , showed that in a cohort of older men, people who experienced frequent nightmares were twice as likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s later than those who did not.
Previous studies have shown that people with Parkinson’s disease experience nightmares and bad dreams more frequently than adults in the general population, but the use of nightmares as a risk indicator for Parkinson’s disease has not previously been considered.
Lead author Dr Abidemi Otaiku, from the University’s Center for Human Brain Health, said: "Although it can be really beneficial to diagnose Parkinson’s disease early, there are very few risk indicators and many of them require hospital testing. expensive or are very common and nonspecific, such as diabetes.
"While we need to conduct more research in this area, identifying the importance of bad dreams and nightmares could indicate that people who experience changes in their dreams in old age, without any obvious trigger, should seek medical attention."
The team used data from a large US cohort study, which contained data over a 12-year period from 3,818 older men living independently. At the beginning of the study, the men completed a variety of questionnaires, one of which included a question about sleep quality.
Participants who reported nightmares at least once a week were followed at the end of the study to see if they were more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
During the follow-up period, 91 cases of Parkinson’s were diagnosed. The researchers found that participants who experienced frequent bad dreams were twice as likely to develop the disease compared to those who did not. Most diagnoses occurred in the first five years of the study. Participants with frequent nightmares during this period were more than three times as likely to develop Parkinson’s.
The results suggest that older adults who will one day be diagnosed with Parkinson’s are likely to begin experiencing bad dreams and nightmares a few years before developing the hallmark features of Parkinson’s disease, which include tremors, rigidity and slowness of movement.
The study also shows that our dreams can reveal important information about the structure and function of our brain and may prove an important target for neuroscience research.
Researchers plan to use electroencephalography (EEG) to look at the biological reasons for changes in dreams. They will also seek to replicate the findings in larger, more diverse cohorts and explore possible links between dreams and other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Added value of this study This prospective population-based study has demonstrated for the first time that frequent distressing dreams (≥1/week) in community-dwelling older adults may be associated with an increased risk of developing PD. In this study, the risk conferred by having frequent distressing dreams was more than 3-fold in the 5 years before PD diagnosis. These findings open the door to future studies on the association between distressing dreams and the subsequent development of PD, especially among women and young adults. Implications of all available evidence Frequent distressing dreams in older men are associated with an increased risk of developing PD and may represent prodromal symptoms. Detection of late-onset distressing dreams may help identify individuals at risk of developing PD. |
