Frequent teenage nightmares closely associated to cognitive decline: Lancet

A new study by Abidemi Otaiku showed that a higher chance of acquiring cognitive impairment or Parkinson's disease (PD) in adulthood has been linked to having frequent, upsetting nightmares as a youngster. The findings of this study were published in eClinical Medicine. 

In middle-aged and older persons, having upsetting nightmares has been linked to a higher risk of cognitive decline (including dementia) and Parkinson's disease. It is uncertain if young kids who have upsetting dreams may be at a higher risk of acquiring these diseases. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between traumatic nightmares experienced as a kid and the likelihood of acquiring cognitive impairment or PD by the age of 50.

This longitudinal research employed information from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study, a prospective birth cohort that comprised all individuals born in Britain during a single week in 1958. Prospectively, information on upsetting dreams was gathered from the mothers of the children at ages 7 (1965) and 11 (1969). Cognitive evaluation and medical diagnosis, respectively, were used to identify cognitive impairment and PD at age 50 (2008). Using multivariable Firth logistic regression and adjusting for possible variables, the relationship between disturbing dreams between ages 7 and 11 (no time point, one time point, and two time points) and cognitive impairment or PD at age 50 was assessed.

The key findings of this study were:

267 (3.8%) of the 6991 kids (50.6% female) having follow-up data at age 50 had PD or cognitive impairment. 

Having more frequent upsetting dreams as a kid was statistically and linearly related with an increased chance of acquiring cognitive impairment or PD by age 50 (P for trend = 0.037) after controlling for other factors. 

Children with persistent distressing dreams had an 85% higher probability of having cognitive impairment or PD by the age of 50 as compared to children who never experienced distressing dreams (no time point).

In conclusion, this study offers the first concrete evidence that having upsetting nightmares as a kid may raise the chance of adult cognitive impairment or Parkinson's disease (PD). These findings also suggest that unsettling dreams can be a separate risk factor for neurodegeneration. A main preventative approach for dementia and Parkinson's disease (PD) may be the early treatment of disturbing dreams if these results are reproduced in further trials and the connection is proven to be causative.

Reference: 

Otaiku, A. I. (2023). Distressing dreams in childhood and risk of cognitive impairment or Parkinson’s disease in adulthood: a national birth cohort study. In eClinicalMedicine (p. 101872). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101872