Scientists discover type of dream that’s an early sign of dementia or Parkinson’s

People who move around in bed and thrash about during sleep could be exhibiting an early sign of dementia or Parkinson’s disease ‘in nearly all cases’, experts said today. 

Research has long suggested those who suffer a condition known medically as REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) — which sees people ‘act out’ dreams — had increased inflammation in an area of the brain where the chemical dopamine is produced.

Parkinson’s and dementia patients are known to have diminished supplies of dopamine because nerve cells that make it have died. 

Now, US scientists say they have developed an AI-powered algorithm to analyse video recordings of clinical sleep tests.

They believe this could improve accurate diagnoses of the disorder and even prove useful in pinpointing patients at higher risk of dementia and Parkinson’s disease. 

Dr Emmanuel During, an associate professor of neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said: ‘This automated approach could be integrated into clinics during the interpretation of sleep tests to enhance and facilitate diagnosis, and avoid missed diagnoses. 

‘This method could also be used to inform treatment decisions based on the severity of movements displayed during the sleep tests and, ultimately, help doctors personalise care plans for individual patients.’ 

RBD is extremely difficult to diagnose because its symptoms can go unnoticed or be confused with other diseases. 

A definitive diagnosis requires a sleep study, known as a video-polysomnogram, to be conducted at a medical facility with sleep-monitoring technology. 

In the study, the researchers used 2D cameras to assess the clinical sleep tests of 170 patients — 80 with RBD.

The other 90 either had another sleep disorder or no sleep disruption.

They used the automated algorithm to track the motion of pixels in the video — sleep movements during REM sleep. 

They then used it to extract the rate, ratio, magnitude, and velocity of movements, and ratio of immobility. 

Writing in the journal Annals of Neurology, the researchers said the technology had an accuracy rate of 92 per cent — the highest known to date.  

RBD affects around five per cent of people and includes talking, laughing, shouting and swearing while sleeping.

Most people with these disorders thrash around in bed and feel bleary-eyed the next day, often falling asleep during the daytime.

In some cases their nocturnal movements are so vigorous that they hurt themselves or their partners.  

Around 153,000 people in the UK have Parkinson’s, a neurodegenerative condition which causes pain, shaking limbs and difficulties moving. 

Every hour two more people are diagnosed and the disease costs the NHS more than £725 million a year.

Meanwhile, recent analysis by the Alzheimer’s Society estimates the overall annual cost of the dementia to the UK is £42billion a year, with families bearing the brunt.

An ageing population means these costs — which include lost earnings of unpaid carers — are set to soar to £90billion in the next 15 years.

Around 944,000 in the UK are thought to be living with dementia, with the figure is thought to be around 7million in the US.

Alzheimer’s affects around six in 10 people with dementia.

It is thought to be caused by a build-up of amyloid and tau in the brain, which clump together and from plaques and tangles that make it harder for the brain to work properly.

Eventually, the brain struggles to cope with this damage and dementia symptoms develop.

Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.

Dementia diagnoses are expected to sky-rocket in the coming years, making a cheap screening tool vital to get to grips with the challenge.