Cueing emotional memories during slow wave sleep modulates next-day activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala

Pereira, Sofia Isabel Ribeiro; Tsimpanouli, Maria-Efstratia; Hutchison, Isabel C.; Schneider, Jules; Anderson, Ian M.; McFarquhar, Martyn; Elliott, Richard M.; Lewis, Penelope A.

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119120

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Our TMR was administered during SWS, a sleep stage that is critical for memory reactivation and systems consolidation (Klinzing et al, 2019; Hu et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 1994). Intriguingly, we also found that higher REM percentages during the TMR night predicted more TMR-induced positive memory intrusions, which is consistent with recent findings suggesting that the REM sleep could modulate the NREM TMR effects (Batterink et al, 2017; Pereira et al, 2022; Tamminen et al, 2017). Moreover, administering TMR during REM sleep can reduce subjective arousal of negative memories and the frequency of nightmares (Hutchison et al, 2021; Schwartz et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…However, when reactivating emotional memories during sleep in prior studies, results have been mixed. Some studies found that TMR strengthens emotional memories, other studies found null effects on memories or emotional responses, and others reported TMR benefits in subjective arousal reduction (Ashton et al, 2018; Cairney et al, 2014; Hutchison et al, 2021; Lehmann et al, 2016; Pereira et al, 2022). Recently, research suggest that TMR could reactivate multiple memory traces during sleep, either strengthening or weakening episodic memories (Antony et al, 2018; Joensen et al, 2022; Oyarzún et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories

Xia,

Chen,

Zeng

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Recollecting painful or traumatic experiences can be deeply troubling. Sleep may offer an opportunity to reduce such suffering. Accordingly, we developed a procedure to weaken older aversive memories by reactivating newer positive memories during sleep, thereby producing interference. Participants viewed 48 nonsense words each paired a unique aversive image, followed by overnight sleep. The next day, participants learned additional associations between half of the words and positive images, creating interference. During non-rapid-eye-movement sleep that night, memory cues were unobstruisvely 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 recall of positive memories. A noninvasive sleep intervention can thus modify aversive recollection and affective responses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories

Xia,

Chen,

Zeng

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Orbitofrontal brain regions are important in emotion, processing reward value, decision making, and problem-solving abilities (58,59). Alterations in structure and/or function of the orbitofrontal cortex have been described in insomnia (60)(61)(62)(63)(64) and depression (59). Several studies even suggest the orbitofrontal cortex as a region where deviations link insomnia and depression (65)(66)(67).…”

Section: Functional Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insomnia subtypes have differentiating deviations in brain structural connectivity

Bresser,

Blanken,

de Lange

et al. 2023

Preprint

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ObjectiveInsomnia disorder is the most common sleep disorder. A better understanding of insomnia-related deviations in the brain could inspire better treatment. Insufficiently recognized heterogeneity within the insomnia population could obscure involved brain circuits. The present study investigated whether structural brain connectivity deviations differ between recently discovered and validated insomnia subtypes.MethodsStructural and diffusion weighted 3-Tesla MRI data of four independent studies were harmonized. The sample consisted of 73 controls without sleep complaints and 204 participants with insomnia grouped into five subtypes based on their fingerprint of personality and mood traits assessed with the Insomnia Type Questionnaire. Linear regression correcting for age, sex, and brain volume evaluated group differences in structural connectivity strength, indicated by fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity, and evaluated within two different atlases.ResultsInsomnia subtypes showed differentiating profiles of deviating structural connectivity which moreover concentrated in different functional networks. Permutation testing against randomly drawn heterogeneous subsamples indicated significant specificity of deviation profiles in four of the five subtypes:highly distressed(p=0.019), moderately distressed reward insensitive(p=0.014), slightly distressed low reactive(p=0.006) andslightly distressed high reactive(p=0.006).ConclusionsOur results provide a first indication that different insomnia subtypes exhibit distinct profiles of deviations in structural brain connectivity. Subtyping of insomnia could be essential for a better understanding of brain mechanisms that contribute to insomnia vulnerability.

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“…TMR has been shown to influence many types of memory, including spatial memory, motor memory, emotional memory, linguistic memory, and others (Ai et al, 2015; Antony et al, 2012; Cariney et al, 2014; Cheng et al, 2021; Schechtman et al, 2021; Schreiner et al, 2015; Wassing et al, 2019; see Paller et al, 2021 for a review). Notably, researchers also adapted TMR to modify fearful or emotional memories during sleep (Ai et al, 2015; Ashton et al, 2018; Cairney et al, 2014; Hauner et al, 2013; He et al, 2015; Hutchison et al, 2021; Lehmann et al, 2016; Pereira et al, 2022; van der Heijden et al, 2022), but the results to date are mixed; TMR either weakened, strengthened, or had null effects on emotional memories. This evidence does not provide convincing support for the idea that these TMR methods can effectively update unwanted memories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updating memories of unwanted emotions during human sleep

Xia

Yao

Guo

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Post-learning sleep contributes to memory consolidation. Yet, it remains contentious whether sleep affords opportunities to modify or update emotional memories, such as those people would prefer to forget. Here we attempted to update memories during sleep using spoken positive emotional words paired with cues to recent memories for aversive events. Affect updating using positive words during human non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, compared with using neutral words instead, reduced negative affect judgments in post-sleep tests, suggesting that the recalled events were perceived as less aversive. EEG analyses showed that emotional words modulated theta and spindle/sigma activity. Specifically, to the extent that theta power was larger for the positive word than for the following memory cue, participants judged the memory cues less negatively. Moreover, to the extent that sigma power was larger for the emotional word than for the following memory cue, participants showed higher forgetting of unwanted memories. Notably, when the onset of individual positive word coincided with the upstate of slow oscillations, a state characterized by increased cortical excitability during NREM sleep, affective updating was more successful. In sum, the affect content of memories was altered via strategic spoken words presentations during sleep, in association with theta power increases and slow-oscillation upstates. These findings offer novel possibilities for modifying unwanted memories during sleep, without requiring conscious confrontations with aversive memories that people would prefer to avoid.

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Cueing emotional memories during slow wave sleep modulates next-day activity in the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala

Cited by 15 publications

References 81 publications

Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories

Aversive memories can be weakened during human sleep via the reactivation of positive interfering memories

Insomnia subtypes have differentiating deviations in brain structural connectivity

Updating memories of unwanted emotions during human sleep

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