The Effect of Sleep Deprivation and Recovery Sleep on Emotional Memory and Affective Reactivity
| Status: | Enrolling by invitation |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | Insomnia Sleep Studies |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Psychiatry / Psychology |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - 35 |
| Updated: | 3/21/2019 |
| Start Date: | March 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | September 1, 2022 |
To further understand the impact of acute sleep deprivation and recovery sleep on the
processing of emotional information the investigators will address and attempt to answer
three questions, (i) how both undisturbed sleep and sleep deprivation affect the processing
and retrieval of emotional information, (ii) what neural and psychophysiological mechanisms
are associated with these behavioral effects, and (iii) to explore the ability of recovery
sleep to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation. Together, these studies will provide a
greater breadth and depth of knowledge concerning sleep's role in emotion processing and
regulation. Given the growing societal tendency to view sleep as unproductive—foregoing it to
lengthen work days and increase social opportunities— such knowledge would be of practical
importance for understanding the role of sleep in healthy emotional functioning, particular
for individuals experiencing periods of increased stress and emotional distress (e.g., new
parents, hospital staff, or combat troops).
processing of emotional information the investigators will address and attempt to answer
three questions, (i) how both undisturbed sleep and sleep deprivation affect the processing
and retrieval of emotional information, (ii) what neural and psychophysiological mechanisms
are associated with these behavioral effects, and (iii) to explore the ability of recovery
sleep to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation. Together, these studies will provide a
greater breadth and depth of knowledge concerning sleep's role in emotion processing and
regulation. Given the growing societal tendency to view sleep as unproductive—foregoing it to
lengthen work days and increase social opportunities— such knowledge would be of practical
importance for understanding the role of sleep in healthy emotional functioning, particular
for individuals experiencing periods of increased stress and emotional distress (e.g., new
parents, hospital staff, or combat troops).
Goal 1: How does sleep deprivation impact emotion perception and memory processing? The
investigators are interested in how an acute loss of sleep impairs our ability to properly
perceive, consolidate, and retrieve emotional information. There has been research on the
effect of sleep deprivation on broad areas of cognition, such as attention, working memory,
and reasoning ability, but the impact of sleep loss on emotional processing and regulation
remains largely unexplored. The investigators aim to characterize how sleep deprivation
compared to undisturbed sleep affects the ability to accurately perceive emotion, how it
alters the intensity with which emotions are perceived, and the effect that these changes
have on the subsequent consolidation and memory retrieval for emotional compared to neutral
information.
Goal 2: How are these changes reflected in the neural signal and with psychophysiological
measures? The investigators will utilize fMRI and measures of autonomic reactivity (heart
rate and skin conductance) to characterize the neural and psychophysiological mechanisms
underlying these behavioral changes following sleep deprivation compared to a normal night of
sleep. This will allow us to pinpoint the brain regions involved in changes following sleep
deprivation, and associate these changes with effects on downstream physiological responses.
Goal 3: Can a nap after sleep deprivation restore normal processing of emotional memory and
rescue the neural and autonomic markers of sleep deprivation? The investigators are
interested in determining if a brief period of recovery sleep is enough to combat the
behavioral, neural, and autonomic effects of acute sleep loss, thus a portion of the
sleep-deprived participants will be given a 2-hour nap opportunity to quantify its
restorative effects. Such information would form the foundation for future research extending
and translating these findings into effective sleep-based interventions for healthy and
clinical populations alike.
investigators are interested in how an acute loss of sleep impairs our ability to properly
perceive, consolidate, and retrieve emotional information. There has been research on the
effect of sleep deprivation on broad areas of cognition, such as attention, working memory,
and reasoning ability, but the impact of sleep loss on emotional processing and regulation
remains largely unexplored. The investigators aim to characterize how sleep deprivation
compared to undisturbed sleep affects the ability to accurately perceive emotion, how it
alters the intensity with which emotions are perceived, and the effect that these changes
have on the subsequent consolidation and memory retrieval for emotional compared to neutral
information.
Goal 2: How are these changes reflected in the neural signal and with psychophysiological
measures? The investigators will utilize fMRI and measures of autonomic reactivity (heart
rate and skin conductance) to characterize the neural and psychophysiological mechanisms
underlying these behavioral changes following sleep deprivation compared to a normal night of
sleep. This will allow us to pinpoint the brain regions involved in changes following sleep
deprivation, and associate these changes with effects on downstream physiological responses.
Goal 3: Can a nap after sleep deprivation restore normal processing of emotional memory and
rescue the neural and autonomic markers of sleep deprivation? The investigators are
interested in determining if a brief period of recovery sleep is enough to combat the
behavioral, neural, and autonomic effects of acute sleep loss, thus a portion of the
sleep-deprived participants will be given a 2-hour nap opportunity to quantify its
restorative effects. Such information would form the foundation for future research extending
and translating these findings into effective sleep-based interventions for healthy and
clinical populations alike.
Inclusion Criteria:
- willing and able to follow the protocol
- willing and able to meet inclusion criteria for fMRI scanning
- willing to refrain from alcohol and recreational drugs for the duration of the
protocol
- normal or corrected to normal vision is required
Exclusion Criteria:
- self-reported sleep disturbances
- left-handedness or ambidexterity
- a history of mental illness or neurological disorder
- the use of any drugs that could affect either sleep or cognitive functioning (e.g.,
sleeping pills or antidepressants)
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