DREAM RECALL IN NORMAL AGED

Recall from REM-period awakenings was studied in the elderly. Twenty-seven subjects (age range, 66 to 87 years) each slept one or two nights at the laboratory. From 166 REM awakenings there were 92 (55.4 per cent) instances of recall of dream content. This 55.4 per cent recall was significantly lower than the 87 per cent we previously found for the young adult. There was a tendency for women to have more frequent recall than men. REM dreams in the elderly were not manifestly concerned with loss or frustration. A small, nonsignificant positive correlation was found between the amount of recall and verbal intelligence. © 1969 The American Geriatrics Society.