When Dreams Foreshadow Brain Disease

Illustration credit: Scientific American

Alan Alda was running for his life. The actor, best known for his role on the television series M*A*S*H, wasn’t on a set. This threat was real—or at least it felt that way. So when he saw a bag of potatoes in front of him, he grabbed it and threw it at his attacker. Suddenly, the scene shifted. He was in his bedroom, having lurched out of sleep, and the sack of potatoes was a pillow he’d just chucked at his wife.

Actor Alan Alda helps to raise awareness of Parkinson’s and its early symptoms to give people a head start on dealing with the disease.

Image credit: Scientific American

A recent article in Scientific American explores how dream re-enactment (RBD), which takes place during REM sleep, explains how RBD (acting out dreams) may foreshadow neurodegenerative disease, primarily synucleinopathies—conditions in which the protein α-synuclein (or alpha-synuclein) forms toxic clumps in the brain.

NAPS Co-Principal Investigators, Dr. Yo-El Ju (Washington University), Dr. Ronald Postuma (McGill University) and Dr. Bradley Boeve (Mayo Clinic), as well as Investigator Dr. Carlos Schenck (University of Minnesota), were all tapped for their insights in the pivotal feature.

The NAPS Investigators aim to pinpoint clinical and biological markers through various means, including brain scans, genetic screens, and tests of blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The researchers hope these markers will eventually indicate how and when a person with RBD will develop a neurodegenerative disease later in life—and which disease they will end up with. Ideally, such biomarkers would help scientists identify RBD patients for investigative therapies that target α-synuclein years before debilitating symptoms appear. The ultimate goal of NAPS, Dr. Ju says, “is essentially to prepare for clinical trials for protective treatments.”

Image credit: Scientific American