Scientists link dreaming issues to dementia

Problems dreaming could be an early warning sign for ailments such as Parkinson’s disease, researchers said.

Dr John Peever of the University of Toronto, Canada, and his team have learned to control the cells responsible for dreaming in rodents.

The team has used the knowledge to examine dreaming dysfunctions such as REM sleep behaviour disorder in humans, in which sleepers act out their dreams with sometimes violent movements. Their research found a link between the dreaming condition and development of a group of neurodegenerative diseases later in life.

More than 80 per cent of people who suffer from REM sleep disorder develop conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia, Dr Peever said.