The Connection between Daydreaming and Alzheimer's Disease "Daydreaming May Make You Lose Your Mind" That's the headline of an article HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., sent me this week. And it's accurate in one sense: When I read it, it nearly made me lose my mind for a moment while I daydreamed about throttling the headline writer. Why? Because the person who devised that headline decided to completely avoid accuracy in order to be provocative. I was also feeling a little out of my mind about the Alzheimer's disease (AD) study that the article reports on because it contains some pure speculation that verges on fantasy. Dr. Spreen had this take on it: "Do you believe grown-up humans actually report (and pay for) this stuff?" No. I don't believe it. But believe it or not… This Alzheimer's research is actually somewhat groundbreaking because it's based on the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) and other imaging advances which make it possible, for the first time, to diagnose AD with complete accuracy. Previously, such accuracy could only be achieved with an autopsy. When the Washington University (WU) researchers applied five different imaging techniques in the examination of more than 760 subjects, they discovered an interesting coincidence: The part of the brain where AD develops in some patients is the same part of the brain that's involved with daydreaming and the recall of pleasant memories. Now, put on your Wile E. Coyote spring-loaded catapult boots and prepare to join the WU team in jumping to an astounding conclusion. The WU report theorizes that youthful daydreaming may prompt elderly Alzheimer's. That's right, every time you've stopped to reminisce about a happy vacation or imagined yourself accepting an Academy Award, according to the WU team you may have inched yourself just a little closer to dementia. Dr. Spreen neatly put the theory into perspective with this comment: "Uhh, since my garage is where my car is, my garage must be the cause of motor vehicle accidents." The WU logic goes like this: When the brain isn't engaged in demanding activities such as figuring out income tax returns or planning bidding strategies for Ebay auctions, it lapses into default mode. That's when the daydreaming begins. Here's how the WU team puts it in the 8/24/05 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience: "One possibility is that lifetime cerebral metabolism associated with regionally specific default activity predisposes cortical regions to AD-related changes, including amyloid deposition, metabolic disruption, and atrophy." The key phrase here is "one possibility," because this theory is based completely on a coincidence of location. But could there be other possibilities? Sure. The first that comes to mind is the chance that a LACK of daydreaming prompts AD. But an even more likely possibility is that it's just a coincidence After all, they're working on zero evidence here. It's not as if they compared AD rates among chronic daydreamers to AD rates among daydream-free people - an impossible test because everyone daydreams. Even government bureaucrats. Nevertheless, in Associated Press and Reuters interviews the lead authors danced all around their theory, trying to pump up its validity while also basically admitting that it holds no water at all. In other words, they're not actually suggesting that Alzheimer's may be avoided if people would only make an effort to cut back on their daydreaming. Here's the kicker: You and I paid for this daydream study. It was funded by the National Institute on Aging, which is one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. In fairness, I don't think that's as bad as it sounds. After all, they started off in the right direction, using the most advanced imaging
methods to search for the causes of Alzheimer's disease. That's an effort that will certainly continue and might eventually help lead the way to prevention and cure. But in this case it appears that a little wild daydreaming over at Washington University may have prompted a temporary cognitive decline. Sources:
"Molecular, Structural, and Functional Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence for a Relationship between Default Activity, Amyloid, and Memory" The Journal of Neuroscience, Vol. 25, No. 34, 8/24/05, jneurosci.org
"Study Links Daydreaming, Alzheimer's" Cheryl Wittenauer, Associated Press, 8/25/05, The Times (Frankfort, IN), ftimes.com
"Daydreaming Activity Linked to Alzheimer's" Reuters Health, 8/25/05, reutershealth.com
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