A new study has identified a potential early warning sign of Alzheimer’s disease
Robert Rowlands Deputy editor, money and lifestyle, content hub and Maria Ortega
17:39, 09 Apr 2026
New research has shed light on an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s(Image: JackF via Getty Images)
A study has uncovered a previously unknown early warning sign that could indicate Alzheimer’s disease. Research conducted on 1,049 cognitively healthy older adults reveals that those unable to recall their dreams are more likely to carry biomarkers linked to the neurodegenerative condition.
The NHS says warning signs of Alzheimer’s can include confusion, problems with speech and language, disorientation and behaviour changes. People may also start getting lost in familiar places.
Other warning signs that should prompt a visit to the GP include struggling to remember significant events or appointments and repeatedly misplacing belongings.
Not remembering your dreams could be a warning sign(Image: Zorica Nastasic via Getty Images)
However, the earliest indicators can be far more subtle, researchers say. A new study suggests that an inability to remember dreams could be connected to the very first brain changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
These findings come from research recently published in ‘Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring’. The study is the result of joint work between the Queen Sofia Foundation and CIEN (Centre for Research on Neurological Diseases).
Its conclusion stated: “If other factors affecting dream recall can be excluded, poor dream recall in later life may be an indicator of early neurodegeneration and increased risk of cognitive decline.” It added that “a self-reported loss of dream recall in cognitively normal adults could be considered analogous [similar] to subjective cognitive decline, which is thought to frequently be the first symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.”
The study tracked 1,049 mentally healthy older adults over more than a decade, administering cognitive tests, blood tests, and MRI scans to detect early indicators of the condition. People who struggle to remember their dreams more often display biomarkers linked to Alzheimer’s, the study found.
These included raised blood levels of tau protein and the presence of the APOE4 gene, the primary genetic risk factor for the illness. The connection remained consistent irrespective of memory test performance, the study showed.
The NHS website lists symptoms of dementia such as getting lost in familiar places(Image: StudioYummy via Getty Images)
Moreover, participants who could not recall their dreams at the study’s outset experienced more rapid cognitive deterioration and a higher probability of developing dementia throughout the follow-up period, which extended up to 10 years. ABC reports that this association may stem from changes in the default mode network (DMN).
This is a brain system responsible for producing dream content that becomes compromised in Alzheimer’s early stages, researchers propose. Therefore, difficulty recalling dreams would not result from memory issues, but rather from impaired dream content generation, an even earlier occurrence.
“This study suggests that something as commonplace as remembering dreams may be related to very early brain processes associated with Alzheimer’s. It is not a diagnostic criterion, but it is a relevant clue for advancing early detection, which is one of the key areas of research today,” says Pascual Sánchez-Juan, scientific director of CIEN and senior author of the study.
The findings, first released in late 2025, add further information to the field of dementia study. It has also emerged that the flu jab has been linked to ‘significantly lower’ dementia risk in elderly people. We reported this week that a study in Neurology revealed that getting a high-dose flu vaccine is linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people aged 65 and older.
NHS Alzheimer’s disease symptoms and causes
The NHS says Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK. Dementia is an umbrella term for a collection of symptoms linked to the progressive deterioration of brain function, the NHS website says.
It can impact memory, cognitive abilities and other mental faculties. The precise cause of Alzheimer’s disease remains unclear, though several factors are believed to heighten the risk of developing the condition.
These include:
increasing agea family history of the conditionuntreated depression, although depression can also be one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s diseaselifestyle factors and conditions associated with cardiovascular disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, meaning symptoms emerge slowly over many years before eventually worsening significantly. It affects multiple areas of brain function.
The earliest indicator of Alzheimer’s disease is typically minor memory difficulties, according to the NHS. This might involve forgetting recent conversations or events, or struggling to recall the names of places and objects.
As the condition advances, memory issues become increasingly severe and additional symptoms may emerge, such as:
confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar placesdifficulty planning or making decisionsproblems with speech and languageproblems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasksbehaviour changes, such as becoming aggressive or suspicious of othershallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) and delusions (believing things that are untrue)low mood or anxiety