1
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Xia T, Chen D, Zeng S, Yao Z, Liu J, Qin S, Paller KA, Torres Platas SG, Antony JW, Hu X. Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2400678121. [PMID: 39052838 PMCID: PMC11295023 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2400678121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Recollecting painful or traumatic experiences can be deeply troubling. Sleep may offer an opportunity to reduce such suffering. We developed a procedure to weaken older aversive memories by reactivating newer positive memories during sleep. Participants viewed 48 nonsense words each paired with a unique aversive image, followed by an overnight sleep. In the next evening, participants learned associations between half of the words and additional positive images, creating interference. During the following non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, auditory memory cues were unobtrusively delivered. Upon waking, presenting cues associated with both aversive and positive images during sleep, as opposed to not presenting cues, weakened aversive memory recall while increasing positive memory intrusions. Substantiating these memory benefits, computational modeling revealed that cueing facilitated evidence accumulation toward positive affect judgments. Moreover, cue-elicited theta brain rhythms during sleep predominantly predicted the recall of positive memories. A noninvasive sleep intervention can thus modify aversive recollection and affective responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xia
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Danni Chen
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Shengzi Zeng
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA02215
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA02215
| | - Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
| | - Shaozheng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and International Data Group McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing100875, China
| | - Ken A. Paller
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL60208
| | - S. Gabriela Torres Platas
- Cognitive Neuroscience Program and Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL60208
| | - James W. Antony
- Department of Psychology & Child Development, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA93407
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region999077, China
- The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen518057, China
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2
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Yao Z, Xia T, Wei J, Zhang Z, Lin X, Zhang D, Qin P, Ma Y, Hu X. Reactivating cue approached positive personality traits during sleep promotes positive self-referential processing. iScience 2024; 27:110341. [PMID: 39055925 PMCID: PMC11269284 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
People preferentially endorse positive personality traits as more self-descriptive than negative ones, a positivity self-referential bias. Here, we investigated how to enhance positive self-referential processing, integrating wakeful cue-approach training task (CAT) and sleep-based targeted memory reactivation (TMR). In the CAT, participants gave speeded motor responses to cued positive personality traits. In a subsequent nap, we unobtrusively re-played half of the trained positive traits during slow-wave sleep (TMR). Upon awakening, CAT+TMR facilitated participants' speed in endorsing positive traits in immediate tests, and rendered participants endorse more positive traits as self-descriptive after one week. Notably, these enhancements were associated with the directionality of cue-related 1-4 Hz slow traveling waves (STW) that propagate across brain regions. Specifically, anterior-to-posterior backward STW was positively associated with these benefits, whereas forward STW showed negative associations. These findings demonstrate the potential benefits of integrated wakeful cue-approach training and sleep-based memory reactivation in strengthening positive self-referential processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology and The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tao Xia
- Department of Psychology and The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jinwen Wei
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Zhiguo Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Peng Cheng Laboratory, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xuanyi Lin
- Department of Psychology and The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Dandan Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Pengmin Qin
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Yina Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology and The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- HKU, Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, China
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3
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Denis D, Payne JD. Targeted Memory Reactivation during Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep Enhances Neutral, But Not Negative, Components of Memory. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0285-23.2024. [PMID: 38769012 PMCID: PMC11140657 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0285-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Emotionally salient components of memory are preferentially remembered at the expense of accompanying neutral information. This emotional memory trade-off is enhanced over time, and possibly sleep, through a process of memory consolidation. Sleep is believed to benefit memory through a process of reactivation during nonrapid eye movement sleep (NREM). Here, targeted memory reactivation (TMR) was used to manipulate the reactivation of negative and neutral memories during NREM sleep. Thirty-one male and female participants encoded composite scenes containing either a negative or neutral object superimposed on an always neutral background. During NREM sleep, sounds associated with the scene object were replayed, and memory for object and background components was tested the following morning. We found that TMR during NREM sleep improved memory for neutral, but not negative scene objects. This effect was associated with sleep spindle activity, with a larger spindle response following TMR cues predicting TMR effectiveness for neutral items only. These findings therefore do not suggest a role of NREM memory reactivation in enhancing the emotional memory trade-off across a 12 h period but do align with growing evidence of spindle-mediated memory reactivation in service of neutral declarative memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Denis
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, United Kingdom,
| | - Jessica D Payne
- Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
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4
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Cabrera Y, Koymans KJ, Poe GR, Kessels HW, Van Someren EJW, Wassing R. Overnight neuronal plasticity and adaptation to emotional distress. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:253-271. [PMID: 38443627 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00799-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Expressions such as 'sleep on it' refer to the resolution of distressing experiences across a night of sound sleep. Sleep is an active state during which the brain reorganizes the synaptic connections that form memories. This Perspective proposes a model of how sleep modifies emotional memory traces. Sleep-dependent reorganization occurs through neurophysiological events in neurochemical contexts that determine the fates of synapses to grow, to survive or to be pruned. We discuss how low levels of acetylcholine during non-rapid eye movement sleep and low levels of noradrenaline during rapid eye movement sleep provide a unique window of opportunity for plasticity in neuronal representations of emotional memories that resolves the associated distress. We integrate sleep-facilitated adaptation over three levels: experience and behaviour, neuronal circuits, and synaptic events. The model generates testable hypotheses for how failed sleep-dependent adaptation to emotional distress is key to mental disorders, notably disorders of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress with the common aetiology of insomnia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yesenia Cabrera
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Karin J Koymans
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gina R Poe
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Helmut W Kessels
- Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Synaptic Plasticity and Behaviour, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Society for Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Eus J W Van Someren
- Department of Sleep and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Society for Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology and Psychiatry, VU University, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, VU University, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Rick Wassing
- Sleep and Circadian Research, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
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5
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Pereira SIR, Santamaria L, Andrews R, Schmidt E, Van Rossum MCW, Lewis P. Rule Abstraction Is Facilitated by Auditory Cuing in REM Sleep. J Neurosci 2023; 43:3838-3848. [PMID: 36977584 PMCID: PMC10218979 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1966-21.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Sleep facilitates abstraction, but the exact mechanisms underpinning this are unknown. Here, we aimed to determine whether triggering reactivation in sleep could facilitate this process. We paired abstraction problems with sounds, then replayed these during either slow-wave sleep (SWS) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to trigger memory reactivation in 27 human participants (19 female). This revealed performance improvements on abstraction problems that were cued in REM, but not problems cued in SWS. Interestingly, the cue-related improvement was not significant until a follow-up retest 1 week after the manipulation, suggesting that REM may initiate a sequence of plasticity events that requires more time to be implemented. Furthermore, memory-linked trigger sounds evoked distinct neural responses in REM, but not SWS. Overall, our findings suggest that targeted memory reactivation in REM can facilitate visual rule abstraction, although this effect takes time to unfold.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The ability to abstract rules from a corpus of experiences is a building block of human reasoning. Sleep is known to facilitate rule abstraction, but it remains unclear whether we can manipulate this process actively and which stage of sleep is most important. Targeted memory reactivation (TMR) is a technique that uses re-exposure to learning-related sensory cues during sleep to enhance memory consolidation. Here, we show that TMR, when applied during REM sleep, can facilitate the complex recombining of information needed for rule abstraction. Furthermore, we show that this qualitative REM-related benefit emerges over the course of a week after learning, suggesting that memory integration may require a slower form of plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lorena Santamaria
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff, Wales CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Ralph Andrews
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff, Wales CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Elena Schmidt
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff, Wales CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Mark C W Van Rossum
- School of Psychology and School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Penelope Lewis
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff, Wales CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
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6
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Xia T, Yao Z, Guo X, Liu J, Chen D, Liu Q, Paller KA, Hu X. Updating memories of unwanted emotions during human sleep. Curr Biol 2023; 33:309-320.e5. [PMID: 36584677 PMCID: PMC9979073 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Post-learning sleep contributes to memory consolidation. Yet it remains contentious whether sleep affords opportunities to modify or update emotional memories, particularly when people would prefer to forget those memories. Here, we attempted to update memories during sleep, using spoken positive words paired with cues to recent memories of aversive events. Affective updating using positive words during human non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, compared with using neutral words instead, reduced negative affective judgments in post-sleep tests, suggesting that the recalled events were perceived as less aversive. Electroencephalogram (EEG) analyses showed that positive words modulated theta and spindle/sigma activity; specifically, to the extent that theta power was larger for the positive words than for the memory cues that followed, participants judged the memory cues less negatively. Moreover, to the extent that sigma power was larger for the positive words than for the memory cues that followed, participants forgot more episodic details about aversive events. Notably, when the onset of individual positive words coincided with the up-phase of slow oscillations (a state characterized by increased cortical excitability during NREM sleep), affective updating was more successful. In sum, we altered the affective content of memories via the strategic pairing of positive words and memory cues during sleep, linked with EEG theta power increases and the slow oscillation up-phase. These findings suggest novel possibilities for modifying unwanted memories during sleep, which would not require people to consciously confront memories that they prefer to avoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xia
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ziqing Yao
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xue Guo
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Danni Chen
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Qiang Liu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610068, China; Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience Research Center, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China.
| | - Ken A Paller
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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7
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Pace-Schott EF, Kleim B, Alfano CA. Editorial: How does sleep help regulate negative emotion? Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 16:1125841. [PMID: 36699655 PMCID: PMC9869104 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1125841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Edward F. Pace-Schott
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Edward F. Pace-Schott ✉
| | - Birgit Kleim
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Candice A. Alfano
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
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8
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Whitmore NW, Harris JC, Kovach T, Paller KA. Improving memory via automated targeted memory reactivation during sleep. J Sleep Res 2022; 31:e13731. [PMID: 36129154 PMCID: PMC9649863 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A widely accepted view in memory research is that previously acquired information can be reactivated during sleep, leading to persistent memory storage. Targeted memory reactivation (TMR) was developed as a technique whereby specific memories can be reactivated during sleep using a sensory stimulus linked to prior learning. As a research tool, TMR can improve memory, raising the possibility that it may be useful for cognitive enhancement and clinical therapy. A major challenge for the expanded use of TMR is that a skilled operator must manually control stimulation, which is impractical in many settings. To address this limitation, we developed the SleepStim system for automated TMR in the home. SleepStim includes a smartwatch to collect movement and heart-rate data, plus a smartphone to emit auditory cues. A machine-learning model identifies periods of deep sleep and triggers TMR sounds within these periods. We tested whether this system could replicate the spatial-memory benefit of in-laboratory TMR. Participants learned locations of objects on a grid, and then half of the object locations were reactivated during sleep over 3 nights. Recall was tested each morning. In an experiment with 61 participants, the TMR effect was not significant but varied systematically with stimulus intensity; low-intensity but not high-intensity stimuli produced memory benefits. In a second experiment with 24 participants, we limited stimulus intensity and found that TMR reliably improved spatial memory, consistent with effects observed in laboratory studies. We conclude that SleepStim can effectively accomplish automated TMR, and that avoiding sleep disruption is critical for TMR benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W. Whitmore
- Department of Psychology and Interdepartmental Neuroscience ProgramNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIllinoisUSA
| | - Jasmine C. Harris
- Department of Psychology and Interdepartmental Neuroscience ProgramNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIllinoisUSA
| | - Torin Kovach
- Department of Computer ScienceCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Ken A. Paller
- Department of Psychology and Interdepartmental Neuroscience ProgramNorthwestern UniversityEvanstonIllinoisUSA
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9
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Schwartz S, Clerget A, Perogamvros L. Enhancing imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmares with targeted memory reactivation. Curr Biol 2022; 32:4808-4816.e4. [PMID: 36306786 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Nightmare disorder (ND) is characterized by dreams with strong negative emotions occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. ND is mainly treated by imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT), where the patients are asked to change the negative story line of their nightmare to a more positive one. We here used targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during REM sleep to strengthen IRT-related memories and accelerate remission of ND. Thirty-six patients with ND were asked to perform an initial IRT session and, while they generated a positive outcome of their nightmare, half of the patients were exposed to a sound (TMR group), while no such pairing took place for the other half (control group). During the next 2 weeks, all patients performed IRT every evening at home and were exposed to the sound during REM sleep with a wireless headband, which automatically detected sleep stages. The frequency of nightmares per week at 2 weeks was used as the primary outcome measure. We found that the TMR group had less frequent nightmares and more positive dream emotions than the control group after 2 weeks of IRT and a sustained decrease of nightmares after 3 months. By demonstrating the effectiveness of TMR during sleep to potentiate therapy, these results have clinical implications for the management of ND, with relevance to other psychiatric disorders too. Additionally, these findings show that TMR applied during REM sleep can modulate emotions in dreams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Schwartz
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alice Clerget
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lampros Perogamvros
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; Center for Sleep Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, 1225 Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, 1225 Geneva, Switzerland.
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10
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Lipinska G, Austin H, Moonsamy JR, Henry M, Lewis R, Baldwin DS, Thomas KGF, Stuart B. Preferential consolidation of emotional reactivity during sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:976047. [PMID: 36268469 PMCID: PMC9578377 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.976047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have investigated whether sleep affects cognitively unmodulated reactivity to emotional stimuli. These studies operationalize emotion regulation by using subjective and/or objective measures to compare pre- and post-sleep reactivity to the same emotional stimuli. Findings have been inconsistent: some show that sleep attenuates emotional reactivity, whereas others report enhanced or maintained reactivity. Across-study methodological differences may account for discrepant findings. To resolve the questions of whether sleep leads to the attenuation, enhancement, or maintenance of emotional reactivity, and under which experimental conditions particular effects are observed, we undertook a synthesized narrative and meta-analytic approach. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles, using search terms determined a priori and search limits of language = English, participants = human, and dates = January 2006–June 2021. Our final sample included 24 studies that investigated changes in emotional reactivity in response to negatively and/or positively valenced material compared to neutral material over a period of sleep compared to a matched period of waking. Primary analyses used random effects modeling to investigate whether sleep preferentially modulates reactivity in response to emotional stimuli; secondary analyses examined potential moderators of the effect. Results showed that sleep (or equivalent periods of wakefulness) did not significantly affect psychophysiological measures of reactivity to negative or neutral stimuli. However, self-reported arousal ratings of negative stimuli were significantly increased post-sleep but not post-waking. Sub-group analyses indicated that (a) sleep-deprived participants, compared to those who slept or who experienced daytime waking, reacted more strongly and negatively in response to positive stimuli; (b) nap-exposed participants, compared to those who remained awake or who slept a full night, rated negative pictures less negatively; and (c) participants who did not obtain substantial REM sleep, compared to those who did and those exposed to waking conditions, had attenuated reactivity to neutral stimuli. We conclude that sleep may affect emotional reactivity, but that studies need more consistency in methodology, commitment to collecting both psychophysiological and self-report measures, and should report REM sleep parameters. Using these methodological principles would promote a better understanding of under which conditions particular effects are observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gosia Lipinska
- UCT Sleep Sciences and Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuroscience Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Gosia Lipinska
| | - Holly Austin
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Jasmin R. Moonsamy
- UCT Sleep Sciences and Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuroscience Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michelle Henry
- UCT Sleep Sciences and Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuroscience Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Numeracy Centre, Centre for Higher Education Development, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Raphaella Lewis
- UCT Sleep Sciences and Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuroscience Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - David S. Baldwin
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kevin G. F. Thomas
- UCT Sleep Sciences and Applied Cognitive Science and Experimental Neuroscience Team (ACSENT), Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Beth Stuart
- Centre for Evaluation and Methods, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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11
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The power of negative and positive episodic memories. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:869-903. [PMID: 35701665 PMCID: PMC9196161 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01013-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The power of episodic memories is that they bring a past moment into the present, providing opportunities for us to recall details of the experiences, reframe or update the memory, and use the retrieved information to guide our decisions. In these regards, negative and positive memories can be especially powerful: Life’s highs and lows are disproportionately represented in memory, and when they are retrieved, they often impact our current mood and thoughts and influence various forms of behavior. Research rooted in neuroscience and cognitive psychology has historically focused on memory for negative emotional content. Yet the study of autobiographical memories has highlighted the importance of positive emotional memories, and more recently, cognitive neuroscience methods have begun to clarify why positive memories may show powerful relations to mental wellbeing. Here, we review the models that have been proposed to explain why emotional memories are long-lasting (durable) and likely to be retrieved (accessible), describing how in overlapping—but distinctly separable—ways, positive and negative memories can be easier to retrieve, and more likely to influence behavior. We end by identifying potential implications of this literature for broader topics related to mental wellbeing, education, and workplace environments.
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12
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Abstract
Over the past few decades, the importance of sleep has become increasingly recognized for many physiologic functions, including cognition. Many studies have reported the deleterious effect of sleep loss or sleep disruption on cognitive performance. Beyond ensuring adequate sleep quality and duration, discovering methods to enhance sleep to augment its restorative effects is important to improve learning in many populations, such as the military, students, age-related cognitive decline, and cognitive disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roneil G Malkani
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 525, Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
| | - Phyllis C Zee
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 710 North Lake Shore Drive, Suite 520, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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13
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Borghese F, Henckaerts P, Guy F, Perez Mayo C, Delplanque S, Schwartz S, Perogamvros L. Targeted Memory Reactivation During REM Sleep in Patients With Social Anxiety Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:904704. [PMID: 35845468 PMCID: PMC9281560 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.904704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a significant amount of fear when confronted to social situations. Exposure therapy, which is based on fear extinction, does not often lead to full remission. Here, based on evidence showing that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep promotes the consolidation of extinction memory, we used targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during REM sleep to enhance extinction learning in SAD. METHODS Forty-eight subjects with SAD were randomly assigned to two groups: control or TMR group. All patients had two successive exposure therapy sessions in a virtual reality (VR) environment, where they were asked to give a public talk in front of a virtual jury. At the end of each session, and only in the TMR group (N = 24), a sound was paired to the positive feedback phase of therapy (i.e., approval of their performance), which represented the memory to be strengthened during REM sleep. All participants slept at home with a wearable headband device which automatically identified sleep stages and administered the sound during REM sleep. Participants' anxiety level was assessed using measures of parasympathetic (root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats, RMSSD) and sympathetic (non-specific skin conductance responses, ns-SCRs) activity, and subjective measures (Subjective Units of Distress Scale, SUDS), during the preparation phase of their talks before (T1) and after (T2) one full-night's sleep and after 1 week at home (T3). Participants also filled in a dream diary. RESULTS We observed an effect of time on subjective measures of anxiety (SUDS). We did not find any difference in the anxiety levels of the two groups after 1 week of TMR at home. Importantly, the longer the total duration of REM sleep and the more stimulations the TMR group had at home, the less anxious (increased RMSSD) these participants were. Finally, fear in dreams correlated positively with ns-SCRs and SUDS at T3 in the TMR group. CONCLUSION TMR during REM sleep did not significantly modulate the beneficial effect of therapy on subjective anxiety. Yet, our results support that REM sleep can contribute to extinction processes and substantiate strong links between emotions in dreams and waking stress levels in these patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Borghese
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pauline Henckaerts
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Fanny Guy
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Coral Perez Mayo
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Delplanque
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Schwartz
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Human Neuroscience Platform, Fondation Campus Biotech Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lampros Perogamvros
- Department of Basic Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Human Neuroscience Platform, Fondation Campus Biotech Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Center for Sleep Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.,Department of Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
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14
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Halonen R, Kuula L, Makkonen T, Kauramäki J, Pesonen AK. Self-Conscious Affect Is Modulated by Rapid Eye Movement Sleep but Not by Targeted Memory Reactivation-A Pilot Study. Front Psychol 2021; 12:730924. [PMID: 34966319 PMCID: PMC8710454 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.730924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The neurophysiological properties of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) are believed to tune down stressor-related emotional responses. While prior experimental findings are controversial, evidence suggests that affective habituation is hindered if REMS is fragmented. To elucidate the topic, we evoked self-conscious negative affect in the participants (N = 32) by exposing them to their own out-of-tune singing in the evening. Affective response to the stressor was measured with skin conductance response and subjectively reported embarrassment. To address possible inter-individual variance toward the stressor, we measured the shame-proneness of participants with an established questionnaire. The stressor was paired with a sound cue to pilot a targeted memory reactivation (TMR) protocol during the subsequent night's sleep. The sample was divided into three conditions: control (no TMR), TMR during slow-wave sleep, and TMR during REMS. We found that pre- to post-sleep change in affective response was not influenced by TMR. However, REMS percentage was associated negatively with overnight skin conductance response habituation, especially in those individuals whose REMS was fragmented. Moreover, shame-proneness interacted with REM fragmentation such that the higher the shame-proneness, the more the affective habituation was dependent on non-fragmented REMS. In summary, the potential of REMS in affective processing may depend on the quality of REMS as well as on individual vulnerability toward the stressor type.
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Affiliation(s)
- Risto Halonen
- Sleepwell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Liisa Kuula
- Sleepwell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tommi Makkonen
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jaakko Kauramäki
- Cognitive Brain Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anu-Katriina Pesonen
- Sleepwell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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15
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Davidson P, Jönsson P, Carlsson I, Pace-Schott E. Does Sleep Selectively Strengthen Certain Memories Over Others Based on Emotion and Perceived Future Relevance? Nat Sci Sleep 2021; 13:1257-1306. [PMID: 34335065 PMCID: PMC8318217 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s286701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep has been found to have a beneficial effect on memory consolidation. It has furthermore frequently been suggested that sleep does not strengthen all memories equally. The first aim of this review paper was to examine whether sleep selectively strengthens emotional declarative memories more than neutral ones. We examined this first by reviewing the literature focusing on sleep/wake contrasts, and then the literature on whether any specific factors during sleep preferentially benefit emotional memories, with a special focus on the often-suggested claim that rapid eye movement sleep primarily consolidates emotional memories. A second aim was to examine if sleep preferentially benefits memories based on other cues of future relevance such as reward, test-expectancy or different instructions during encoding. Once again, we first focused on studies comparing sleep and wake groups, and then on studies examining the contributions of specific factors during sleep (for each future relevance paradigm, respectively). The review revealed that although some support exists that sleep is more beneficial for certain kinds of memories based on emotion or other cues of future relevance, the majority of studies does not support such an effect. Regarding specific factors during sleep, our review revealed that no sleep variable has reliably been found to be specifically associated with the consolidation of certain kinds of memories over others based on emotion or other cues of future relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Davidson
- Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter Jönsson
- School of Education and Environment, Centre for Psychology, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden
| | | | - Edward Pace-Schott
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA, USA
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