Stress and Sleep Interact to Selectively Consolidate and Transform Negative Emotional Memories

2020 ◽  
pp. 163-188
Author(s):  
Jessica D. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Initial Experience ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Emotional Memories ◽  
Emotional Aspects ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
The Brain

Memory consolidation processes can be highly selective. For example, negative emotional aspects of events tend to be consolidated more readily than other, more neutral, aspects. This chapter discusses evidence that the sleeping brain provides an ideal environment for memory consolidation, and that active, as opposed to passive, sleep-based consolidation processes are particularly important in explaining why emotional memories are retained so well. I also review evidence that elevated levels of stress hormones (cortisol, norepinephrine), particularly during the time of the initial experience, support downstream emotional memory consolidation. The chapter then proposes a working model that describes why arousal and stress at encoding may set the stage for sleep to etch emotional memories in the brain on a long-lasting basis and presents recent data to support this model. However, in addition to promoting the consolidation and stabilization of emotional memories, evidence suggests that sleep and stress also transform memories—in both adaptive and maladaptive ways. Memory for negative emotional experiences, while adaptive in general, can also contribute to the etiology and perpetuation of clinical conditions such as depression and anxiety. Thus, I argues that it is possible to have “too much of a good thing” and suggests ways that the transformative nature of stress and sleep might be used to restructure maladaptive memories in the clinic.

scholarly journals Targeted memory reactivation in REM but not SWS selectively reduces arousal responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel C. Hutchison ◽  
Stefania Pezzoli ◽  
Maria-Efstratia Tsimpanouli ◽  
Mahmoud E. A. Abdellahi ◽  
Penelope A. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Slow Wave Sleep ◽  
Sleep Stage ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Rapid Eye Movement Sleep ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Memory Reactivation ◽  
Emotional Memories ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Subjective Arousal ◽  
Spontaneous Reactivation

AbstractA growing body of evidence suggests that sleep can help to decouple the memory of emotional experiences from their associated affective charge. This process is thought to rely on the spontaneous reactivation of emotional memories during sleep, though it is still unclear which sleep stage is optimal for such reactivation. We examined this question by explicitly manipulating memory reactivation in both rapid-eye movement sleep (REM) and slow-wave sleep (SWS) using targeted memory reactivation (TMR) and testing the impact of this manipulation on habituation of subjective arousal responses across a night. Our results show that TMR during REM, but not SWS significantly decreased subjective arousal, and this effect is driven by the more negative stimuli. These results support one aspect of the sleep to forget, sleep to remember (SFSR) hypothesis which proposes that emotional memory reactivation during REM sleep underlies sleep-dependent habituation.

scholarly journals The Influence of Sleep on Emotional Memory Consolidation Processes

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael De Jesus ◽  
William Fishbein
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Emotional Memories ◽  
Affective Functioning

An emerging trend in the literature has accumulated evidence in support for sleep’s role in the processing of episodic emotional memories. This review presents varying perspectives and models regarding information processing and affective functioning as it relates to sleep, emotions, and memory. Adaptive and maladaptive functions as it directly relates to sleep and emotions are also discussed herein. Collectively, the findings attempt to build on the literature and offer some clarity into the interaction of sleep, emotions, and memory.

scholarly journals Antagonism between brain regions relevant for cognitive control and emotional memory facilitates the generation of humorous ideas

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Bitsch ◽  
Philipp Berger ◽  
Andreas Fink ◽  
Arne Nagels ◽  
Benjamin Straube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Frontal Brain ◽  
Successful Resolution ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe ability to generate humor gives rise to positive emotions and thus facilitate the successful resolution of adversity. Although there is consensus that inhibitory processes might be related to broaden the way of thinking, the neural underpinnings of these mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a humorous alternative uses task and a stroop task, to investigate the brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of humorous ideas in 24 subjects. Neuroimaging results indicate that greater cognitive control abilities are associated with increased activation in the amygdala, the hippocampus and the superior and medial frontal gyrus during the generation of humorous ideas. Examining the neural mechanisms more closely shows that the hypoactivation of frontal brain regions is associated with an hyperactivation in the amygdala and vice versa. This antagonistic connectivity is concurrently linked with an increased number of humorous ideas and enhanced amygdala responses during the task. Our data therefore suggests that a neural antagonism previously related to the emergence and regulation of negative affective responses, is linked with the generation of emotionally positive ideas and may represent an important neural pathway supporting mental health.

Pharmacologically Increasing Sleep Spindles Enhances Recognition for Negative and High-arousal Memories

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1597-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Kaestner ◽  
John T. Wixted ◽  
Sara C. Mednick
Keyword(s):  
Rem Sleep ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Sleep Spindles ◽  
Sleep Spindle ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Valence And Arousal

Sleep affects declarative memory for emotional stimuli differently than it affects declarative memory for nonemotional stimuli. However, the interaction between specific sleep characteristics and emotional memory is not well understood. Recent studies on how sleep affects emotional memory have focused on rapid eye movement sleep (REM) but have not addressed non-REM sleep, particularly sleep spindles. This is despite the fact that sleep spindles are implicated in declarative memory as well as neural models of memory consolidation (e.g., hippocampal neural replay). Additionally, many studies examine a limited range of emotional stimuli and fail to disentangle differences in memory performance because of variance in valence and arousal. Here, we experimentally increase non-REM sleep features, sleep spindle density, and SWS, with pharmacological interventions using zolpidem (Ambien) and sodium oxybate (Xyrem) during daytime naps. We use a full spread of emotional stimuli to test all levels of valence and arousal. We find that increasing sleep spindle density increases memory discrimination (da) for highly arousing and negative stimuli without altering measures of bias (ca). These results indicate a broader role for sleep in the processing of emotional stimuli with differing effects based on arousal and valence, and they raise the possibility that sleep spindles causally facilitate emotional memory consolidation. These findings are discussed in terms of the known use of hypnotics in individuals with emotional mood disorders.

scholarly journals Mindfulness Research Update: 2008

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Greeson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Optimal Health ◽  
The Brain

Objective: To briefly review the effects of mindfulness on the mind, the brain, the body, and behavior. Methods: Selective review of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases (2003—2008) using the terms ``mindfulness,'' ``meditation,'' ``mental health,'' ``physical health,'' ``quality of life,'' and ``stress reduction.'' A total of 52 exemplars of empirical and theoretical work were selected for review. Results: Both basic and clinical research indicate that cultivating a more mindful way of being is associated with less emotional distress, more positive states of mind, and better quality of life. In addition, mindfulness practice can influence the brain, the autonomic nervous system, stress hormones, the immune system, and health behaviors, including eating, sleeping, and substance use, in salutary ways. Conclusion: The application of cutting-edge technology toward understanding mindfulness— an ``inner technology''—is elucidating new ways in which attention, awareness, acceptance, and compassion may promote optimal health—in mind, body, relationships, and spirit.

Double Inversion Recovery Imaging of the Brain: Initial Experience and Comparison with Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery Imaging

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Turetschek ◽  
Patrick Wunderbaldinger ◽  
Alexander A. Bankier ◽  
Thomas Zontsich ◽  
Oswald Graf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inversion Recovery ◽  
Double Inversion Recovery ◽  
Initial Experience ◽  
Inversion Recovery Imaging ◽  
Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals The Brain–Skin Axis in Psoriasis—Psychological, Psychiatric, Hormonal, and Dermatological Aspects

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 669
Author(s):  
Luiza Marek-Jozefowicz ◽  
Rafał Czajkowski ◽  
Alina Borkowska ◽  
Bogusław Nedoszytko ◽  
Michał A. Żmijewski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Stress Signaling ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Inflammatory Skin Disease ◽  
Skin Cells ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Functional Analog ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
The Brain

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with systemic manifestation, in which psychological factors play an important role. The etiology of psoriasis is complex and multifactorial, including genetic background and environmental factors such as emotional or physical stress. Psychological stress may also play a role in exacerbation of psoriasis, by dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, sympathetic–adrenal–medullary axis, peripheral nervous system, and immune system. Skin cells also express various neuropeptides and hormones in response to stress, including the fully functional analog of the HPA axis. The deterioration of psoriatic lesions is accompanied by increased production of inflammatory mediators, which could contribute to the imbalance of neurotransmitters and the development of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Therefore, deregulation of the crosstalk between endocrine, paracrine, and autocrine stress signaling pathways contributes to clinical manifestations of psoriasis, which requires multidisciplinary approaches.

scholarly journals Out-of-body experience favors emotional memory consolidation

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Christos Daoultzis ◽  
Sophie Alida Bogemann ◽  
Yoshiyuki Onuki ◽  
Martijn Meeter ◽  
Ysbrand Van Der Werf
Keyword(s):  
Skin Temperature ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Emotional Memory ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Body Ownership ◽  
Body Experience ◽  
Body Experiences ◽  
Emotional Pictures ◽  
Retrieval Session

Body ownership reflects our ability to recognise our body at a certain location, enabling us to interact with the world. Emotion has a strong impact on memory and body ownership; interestingly, skin temperature may at least in part mediate this impact. Previous studies have found that out-of-body experiences (OBE) impair memory encoding and cause skin temperature to drop. In the present study a new method for inducing OBE was designed and their impact on a different stage and type of memory processing (emotional memory consolidation) and on skin temperature was investigated. In our experiment, we presented three types of emotional pictures (neutral, pleasant, unpleasant) before inducing OBE and testing our participants’ recognition memory in a retrieval session. Throughout the whole experiment, both neck and hand skin temperature were measured using iButtons. Participants’ performance was calculated using d-prime and statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, probing the relationship between the score on the OBE questionnaire, performance and skin temperature; we also compared the differences between the experimental and a control group. Results showed that OBE favour emotional memory consolidation and cause a temperature increase, supporting the embodied cognition theory as proposed by Anderson (2003). Future studies should expand our findings, to rule out that participants experiencing OBE could have a better memory at baseline or that temperature could be increased due to other reasons.

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