Dream recall frequency in epilepsy patients with partial and generalized seizures: a dream diary study

The frequency of dream recall (DR) in patients with brain diseases has proved to be indicative of the relation between sleep disturbances and the functioning of cognitive processes during sleep. In this study we attempted to ascertain whether DR frequency in patients with complex partial seizures (CPSs) is higher than that in those with generalized seizures.

DR frequency was assessed by means of a 60-day dream diary in patients with CPSs, whose epileptic focus was in the right (n = 12) or left temporal lobe (n = 28), and with idiopathic generalized seizures (n = 21). The patients enrolled in the study were not impaired in global cognitive and memory functioning.

The ability to recall dreams was established in nearly all patients with either CPSs or generalized seizures. DR frequency resulted significantly higher (about twice) in patients with CPSs, regardless of (a) the side of the epileptic focus, (b) the presence of a cerebral lesion detectable on a computed tomography (CT) scan, or (c) the occurrence of seizures in the previous day.

These findings indicate that overall, DR occurs in medicated epilepsy patients with CPSs more frequently than reported in previous studies. The high DR frequency observed in these patients, regardless of the side of the epileptic focus, is in agreement with the assumption that tempoparietal areas of both hemispheres are involved in the production and recall of the dream experience.