EPIDREAM 1 : Study of Dreaming in Epilepsy (EPIDREAM 1)

Study of the Determinants of Dream Recall and Content in Patients With Epilepsy

Dreaming is a sleep-associated cognitive process whose neural substrates and functions remain poorly understood. In healthy subjects, the frequency of dream recall is influenced by several factors such as age, gender, interest in dreams and sleep quality. The content of dreams mainly depends on waking life experiences, especially when they are recent and have a strong emotional content. The function of dreams remains debated but it is widely accepted that dreams play a role in emotional regulation.

Modifications in dreams are observed in several neurological diseases and sleep disorders, due to the modifications of sleep related to these diseases, as well as to associated disturbances in cognitive functioning and to the impact on such diseases on waking life. Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by a predisposition to seizures resulting from excessive and synchronized abnormal brain activity; it is associated with numerous co-morbidities including sleep and cognitive disorders, which are present in nearly one in two patients. However, the influence of epilepsy on sleep-related cognitive processes is poorly understood. It is suspected that nocturnal epileptic activity disturbs sleep-related memory consolidation processes, but the consequences of epilepsy on dreams have been little investigated.

The study of the determinants (epilepsy syndrome, location of the epileptic focus, presence of sleep-related seizures, certain anti-epileptic treatments, alteration of the quality of sleep) of dream characteristics in this context could lead to a better understanding of the dreams physiology, the interactions between epilepsy and sleep, as well as the cognitive and emotional functioning related to sleep in epilepsy. It could also determine whether dream characteristics can provide information on the epilepsy syndrome and on the presence of nocturnal seizures, and thus constitute a diagnostic tool.

In this cross-sectional observational study, we aim to identify determinants of dream recall in relation to epilepsy by administering a simple and brief questionnaire on sleep and dreams, to all consecutive patients seen in epileptology consultation during 12 months. Our objectives are

1. To determine whether the presence of sleep-related seizures influences the frequency of dream recall in patients with epilepsy
2. To describe the characteristics of dreams in epilepsy, the influence of epilepsy on dreams and to characterize the determinants of dream recall frequency in patients with epilepsy We hypothesize that the presence of seizures during sleep will be associated with poorer sleep quality, increased frequency of dream recall, and that we will observe the inclusion of epilepsy symptoms in dream content, particularly in subjects who are aware of their nocturnal seizures and are awakened by them.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Epilepsy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: EPIDREAM Questionnaire

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 347

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Rhône
    • Bron, Rhône, France, 69500
      • Hospices Civils de Lyon

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

200 consecutives out-patients with epilepsy seen at the consultation of the Epilepsy and Functional Neurology Department, Lyon Neurological Hospital.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patient seen at the epilepsy consultation
• Age 18-65 years
• Certain diagnosis of epilepsy whatever the syndromic diagnosis and the frequency of seizures

Exclusion Criteria:

• major cognitive disorders
• refusal to participate

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Correlation coefficient between dream recall frequency and nocturnal seizures frequency	dream recall frequency : question 1 of the EPIDREAM questionnaire nocturnal seizures frequency: question 12 of the EPIDREAM questionnaire	Visit 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 7, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 21, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 21, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 27, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 27, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): September 30, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 26, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 25, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Epilepsy; Seizures; Dreams
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Epilepsy
• Other Study ID Numbers: 69HCL22_0745

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No