The DOI matches its Crossref record; 49 of the 50 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
REM Sleep Depotentiates Amygdala Activity to Previous Emotional Experiences
Open accessAbstract
Clinical evidence suggests a potentially causal interaction between sleep and affective brain function; nearly all mood disorders display co-occurring sleep abnormalities, commonly involving rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. Building on this clinical evidence, recent neurobiological frameworks have hypothesized a benefit of REM sleep in palliatively decreasing next-day brain reactivity to recent waking emotional experiences. Specifically, the marked suppression of central adrenergic neurotransmitters during REM (commonly implicated in arousal and stress), coupled with activation in amygdala-hippocampal networks that encode salient events, is proposed to (re)process and depotentiate previous affective experiences, decreasing their emotional intensity. In contrast, the failure of such adrenergic reduction during REM sleep has been described in anxiety disorders, indexed by persistent high-frequency electroencephalographic (EEG) activity (>30 Hz); a candidate factor contributing to hyperarousal and exaggerated amygdala reactivity. Despite these neurobiological frameworks, and their predictions, the proposed benefit of REM sleep physiology in depotentiating neural and behavioral responsivity to prior emotional events remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that REM sleep physiology is associated with an overnight dissipation of amygdala activity in response to previous emotional experiences, altering functional connectivity and reducing next-day subjective emotionality.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“the adrenergic reduction during REM sleep is essential to emotional regulation because of its role in defusing affective experiences and decreasing emotional intensity”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Moreover, the frontal gamma activity seems to have a role in decreasing the amygdala reactivity (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“the gamma activity seems to be related to emotional processes and dream recall as well as to lucid dreams”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Some authors suggested that these structures may be responsible for the reprocessing and consolidation of emotional experiences during REM sleep”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“In line with these findings, sleep after emotional learning has been shown to depotentiate affective tone of emotional memories, in spite of strengthening their content.18”
From Effects of Sleep after Experimental Trauma on Intrusive Emotional Memories. (2016) · cites this paper as [18]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Further support for the SFSR hypothesis was provided by functional magnetic resonance imaging studies indicating that the strengthening of negative emotional memories by sleep is accompanied by a reduced amygdala activation, i.e., a diminished emotional response during retrieval (1147, 1231).”
From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [1231]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies show that participants who slept after encoding emotionally aversive pictures showed reduced amygdala activity when exposed to the same pictures later whereas no such depotentiation of amygdala activity was found in the group who remained awake.18”
From Effects of Sleep after Experimental Trauma on Intrusive Emotional Memories. (2016) · cites this paper as [18]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Some previous studies showed strengthening of emotional memories after consolidation during sleep.13,18,35,38”
From Effects of Sleep after Experimental Trauma on Intrusive Emotional Memories. (2016) · cites this paper as [18]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“this study did not find any effect on the theta band”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“this attenuation of emotional reactivity is related to mPFC connectivity”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“this finding points to an indirect link between higher gamma during REM sleep and affective mental states”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“the gamma activity during REM sleep represents a potential marker of emotional processing”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“sleep decreases amygdala reactivity in response to previously encountered emotional experiences (presented by IAPS) as well as behavioral (subjective rating)”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“the reduced emotional reactivity is related to attenuated frontal gamma activity during REM sleep”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“the gamma activity could represent a marker of the suppression of central adrenergic neurotransmitters in REM sleep (also implicated in arousal and stress) involved in the encoding of emotional salient events along with activation in amygdala-hippocampal system”
From The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes (2019) · cites this paper as van der Helm et al., 2011
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Our results are in line with studies and theoretical accounts proposing a role of sleep in the affective depotentiation of emotional memories.9,14,13,18,37”
From Effects of Sleep after Experimental Trauma on Intrusive Emotional Memories. (2016) · cites this paper as [18]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“However, the overnight reduction in amygdala activation in response to emotional pictures presented before and after sleep was correlated with gamma rather than theta activity during intervening REM sleep (1231).”
From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [1231]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Etkin, A., & Wager, T. D. (2007) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.07030504 · Cited by 3,391 · cited 2×
“In contrast, the failure of such adrenergic reduction during REM sleep has been described in anxiety disorders, indexed by persistent high-frequency electroencephalographic (EEG) activity (>30Hz) [7–10]; a candidate factor contributing to hyper-arousal and exaggerated amygdala reactivity [3, 11–13].”
International Affective Picture System (IAPS) : Technical Manual and Affective Ratings
Lang, P. J. (1995) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 2,870
Berridge, C. W., & Waterhouse, B. D. (2003) · Brain Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0165-0173(03)00143-7 · Cited by 2,529 · cited 1×
“Analysis focused a priori on prefrontal EEG activity, based on this region’s dense adrenergic innervation [22, 23] and established role in emotion regulation [24, 25].”
Phelps, E. A., Delgado, M. R., Nearing, K. I., & LeDoux, J. E. (2004) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2004.08.042 · Cited by 1,753 · cited 1×
“Moreover, and consonant with the proposed function of top-down regulation [13, 15–21], these overnight reductions in amygdala activity were additionally associated with changes in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) functional connectivity.”
Puzzlingly High Correlations in fMRI Studies of Emotion, Personality, and Social Cognition
Vul, E., Harris, C., Winkielman, P., & Pashler, H. (2009) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01125.x · Cited by 1,475
Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders: A Meta-analysis
Benca, R. M. (1992) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1992.01820080059010 · Cited by 1,468
Neural mechanisms of autonomic, affective, and cognitive integration
Critchley, H. D. (2005) · Journal of Comparative Neurology · doi:10.1002/cne.20749 · Cited by 1,214 · cited 1×
“The consequential impact of such altered central nervous system processing on peripheral nervous system reactivity has potentially important implications, especially considering their respective efferent—afferent interactions known to supporting symbiotic emotional homeostasis [31].”
Anxiety and affective style: role of prefrontal cortex and amygdala
Davidson, R. J. (2002) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(01)01328-2 · Cited by 1,170 · cited 1×
“Moreover, and consonant with the proposed function of top-down regulation [13, 15–21], these overnight reductions in amygdala activity were additionally associated with changes in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) functional connectivity.”
The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion
Walker, M. P. (2009) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04416.x · Cited by 1,111 · cited 5×
“Guided by recent neurobiological models [3, 5], the current study focused on the sleepdependent differences in emotion reactivity within the central nervous system (specifically the brain).”
InfluentialSelf-citationOvernight therapy? The role of sleep in emotional brain processing
Walker, M. P., & van der Helm, E. (2009) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0016570 · Cited by 1,087 · cited 8×
“Clinical evidence suggests a potentially causal interaction between sleep and affective brain function; nearly all mood disorders display co-occurring sleep abnormalities, commonly involving rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep [1–4].”
InfluentialSelf-citation
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2013) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00032.2012 · Cited by 2,783
The role of sleep in emotional brain function
Goldstein, A. N., & Walker, M. P. (2014) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153716 · Cited by 1,052
“Modified from (van der Helm et al 2011).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationSleep and mental disorders: a meta-analysis of polysomnographic research
Baglioni, C., Nanovska, S., Regen, W., Spiegelhalder, K., Feige, B., Nissen, C., Reynolds, C. F., & Riemann, D. (2016) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000053 · Cited by 1,074
“The association between REM sleep variables and affect regulation was evidenced also by neuroimaging studies (van der Helm et al., 2011; Nofzinger et al., 2004).”
BackgroundSleep and emotion regulation: An organizing, integrative review
Palmer, C. A., & Alfano, C. A. (2017) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.12.006 · Cited by 935
Brain mechanisms of insomnia: new perspectives on causes and consequences
Someren, E. J. W. V. (2020) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00046.2019 · Cited by 578
Sleep and emotional processing
Tempesta, D., Socci, V., De Gennaro, L., & Ferrara, M. (2018) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2017.12.005 · Cited by 443
Blake, M. J., Trinder, J. A., & Allen, N. B. (2018) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2018.05.006 · Cited by 477
Differential Effects of Non-REM and REM Sleep on Memory Consolidation?
Ackermann, S., & Rasch, B. (2014) · Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports · doi:10.1007/s11910-013-0430-8 · Cited by 297
The role of REM sleep theta activity in emotional memory
Hutchison, I. C., & Rathore, S. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01439 · Cited by 245
“Some evidence suggests a sleep-dependent decrease in both subjective emotional arousal and autonomic response to negative stimuli compared to an equally long period of wake in humans (Gujar et al., 2011; van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSocial interactions, emotion and sleep: A systematic review and research agenda
Beattie, L., Kyle, S. D., Espie, C. A., & Biello, S. M. (2014) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2014.12.005 · Cited by 290
Bernert, R. A., Turvey, C. L., Conwell, Y., & Joiner, T. E. (2014) · JAMA Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.1126 · Cited by 248
Sleep Deprivation and Neurological Disorders
Bishir, M., Bhat, A., Essa, M. M., Ekpo, O. E., Ihunwo, A. O., Veeraraghavan, V. P., Surapaneni, K. M., Mahalakshmi, A. M., Ray, B., Tuladhar, S., et al. (2020) · BioMed Research International · doi:10.1155/2020/5764017 · Cited by 267
“The amygdala, a structure known in the processing of emotions, has been suggested to be very active during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which explains the co-occurrence of mood disorders with sleep abnormalities [21].”
Sleep Loss and the Socio-Emotional Brain
Simon, E. B., Vallat, R., Barnes, C. M., & Walker, M. P. (2020) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2020.02.003 · Cited by 261
Self-citationBlouin, A. M., Fried, I., Wilson, C. L., Staba, R. J., Behnke, E., Lam, H. A., Maidment, N. T., Karlsson, K. Æ., Lapierre, J. L., & Siegel, J. M. (2013) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms2461 · Cited by 251
Effects of sleep on memory for conditioned fear and fear extinction.
Pace-Schott, E. F., Germain, A., & Milad, M. R. (2015) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000014 · Cited by 218
Groch, S., Wilhelm, I., Diekelmann, S., & Born, J. (2013) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2012.10.006 · Cited by 208
“…far, only a few studies directly addressed the issue of sleepassociated changes in the affective responses to aversive emotional and neutral pictures with rather inconsistent findings (Baran, PaceSchott, Ericson, & Spencer, 2012; Van der Helm et al., 2011; Wagner, Fischer, & Born, 2002).”
BackgroundResultThe Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes
Scarpelli, S., Bartolacci, C., D'Atri, A., Gorgoni, M., & De Gennaro, L. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00459 · Cited by 190
Slow dissolving of emotional distress contributes to hyperarousal
Wassing, R., Benjamins, J. S., Dekker, K., Moens, S., Spiegelhalder, K., Feige, B., Riemann, D., van der Sluis, S., Van Der Werf, Y. D., Talamini, L. M., et al. (2016) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1522520113 · Cited by 174
“Furthermore, high-frequency electroencephalographic activity during REM sleep, an index of fragmented REM sleep, hinders resolution of emotional distress (10).”
BackgroundSelf-citationRestless REM Sleep Impedes Overnight Amygdala Adaptation
Wassing, R., Lakbila‐Kamal, O., Ramautar, J. R., Stoffers, D., Schalkwijk, F. W., & Someren, E. J. W. V. (2019) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.034 · Cited by 172
The role of sleep and sleep deprivation in consolidating fear memories
Menz, M. M., Rihm, J. S., Salari, N., Born, J., Kalisch, R., Pape, H. C., Marshall, L., & Büchel, C. (2013) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.03.001 · Cited by 158
“In the study of van der Helm et al. (2011) participants viewed and rated the emotional intensity of affective pictures, whichwere shown for a second time during recall.”
Graph analysis of dream reports is especially informative about psychosis
Mota, N. B., Furtado, R., Maia, P., Copelli, M., & Ribeiro, S. T. G. (2014) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/srep03691 · Cited by 161
Trauma associated sleep disorder: a parasomnia induced by trauma
Mysliwiec, V., Brock, M. S., Creamer, J. L., O'Reilly, B. M., Germain, A., & Roth, B. J. (2018) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2017.01.004 · Cited by 150
Impact of Sleep Quality on Amygdala Reactivity, Negative Affect, and Perceived Stress
Prather, A. A., Bogdan, R., & Hariri, A. R. (2013) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0b013e31828ef15b · Cited by 139
“A recent study reported that greater rapid eye movement sleep, which is higher in better sleepers, predicted decreased subjective emotional responsiveness to negative stimuli and a decrease in amygdala reactivity as well as an increase in amygdalamPFC connectivity over consecutive scans (62).”
BackgroundTired and Apprehensive: Anxiety Amplifies the Impact of Sleep Loss on Aversive Brain Anticipation
Goldstein‐Piekarski, A. N., Greer, S. M., Saletin, J., Harvey, A. G., Nitschke, J. B., & Walker, M. P. (2013) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5578-12.2013 · Cited by 138
“Conversely, a night of sleep palliatively resets limbic responsivity to emotional events (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSelf-citationLinking Network Activity to Synaptic Plasticity during Sleep: Hypotheses and Recent Data
Puentes-Mestril, C., & Aton, S. J. (2017) · Frontiers in Neural Circuits · doi:10.3389/fncir.2017.00061 · Cited by 130
“A recent fMRI study (van der Helm et al., 2011) indicated that overnight decreases in amygdala functional responses to an emotionally arousing task are related to REM-associated EEG activity.”
BackgroundLosing Neutrality: The Neural Basis of Impaired Emotional Control without Sleep
Simon, E. B., Oren, N., Sharon, H., Kirschner, A., Goldway, N., Okon‐Singer, H., Tauman, R., Deweese, M. M., Keil, A., & Hendler, T. (2015) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1314-15.2015 · Cited by 132
“In contrast, adequate sleep has been consistently associated with improved emotional well-being, specifically related to REM sleep amount and physiology (Gujar et al., 2011a; van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundCellular and System Biology of Memory: Timing, Molecules, and Beyond
Körte, M., & Schmitz, D. (2016) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00010.2015 · Cited by 132
“Consistent with this theory, sleep primarily seems to be beneficial for hippocampus-dependent memories (101, 448).”
Effects of Sleep after Experimental Trauma on Intrusive Emotional Memories.
Kleim, B., Wysokowsky, J., Schmid, N., Seifritz, E., & Rasch, B. (2016) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.6310 · Cited by 119
“Some previous studies showed strengthening of emotional memories after consolidation during sleep.(13,18,35,38) On the basis of these results, it has been argued that sleep posttrauma might consolidate and further strengthen negative traumatic memories and that symptoms of sleep disturbance frequently seen in trauma s…”
BackgroundResultInfluentialREM Sleep Rebound as an Adaptive Response to Stressful Situations
Suchecki, D., Tiba, P. A., & Machado, R. B. (2012) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2012.00041 · Cited by 119
“These findings were correlated with diminished gamma EEG activity during REMS (van der Helm et al., 2011), a marker of adrenergic activity (Cape and Jones, 1998; Hajos et al., 2003; Walling et al., 2011).”
BackgroundGoldstein‐Piekarski, A. N., Greer, S. M., Saletin, J., & Walker, M. P. (2015) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5254-14.2015 · Cited by 128
“…of sleep significantly amplifies amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli (Yoo et al., 2007; Goldstein et al., 2013), whereas the presence of sleep, and specifically REM sleep, beneficially depotentiates amygdala reactivity in response to previous emotional experiences (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationSleep enhances exposure therapy
Kleim, B., Wilhelm, F. H., Temp, L., Margraf, J., Wiederhold, B. K., & Rasch, B. (2014) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291713001748 · Cited by 113
A Review of the Relationship Between Emotional Learning and Memory, Sleep, and PTSD
Colvonen, P. J., Straus, L. D., Acheson, D. T., & Gehrman, P. (2019) · Current Psychiatry Reports · doi:10.1007/s11920-019-0987-2 · Cited by 113
Wiesner, C. D., Pulst, J., Krause, F., Elsner, M., Baving, L., Pedersen, A., Prehn‐Kristensen, A., & Göder, R. (2015) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2015.02.008 · Cited by 111
“Van der Helm and colleagues reported a correlation between a REM sleep EEG parameter and the attenuation of the emotional reaction to repeatedly viewed pictures (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
Altered Emotion Perception in Insomnia Disorder
Kyle, S. D., Beattie, L., Spiegelhalder, K., Rogers, Z., & Espie, C. A. (2014) · SLEEP · doi:10.5665/sleep.3588 · Cited by 106
Hom, M. A., Stanley, I. H., Rogers, M. L., Tzoneva, M., Bernert, R. A., & Joiner, T. E. (2016) · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine · doi:10.5664/jcsm.5492 · Cited by 99
“22,23 These findings are consistent with earlier, seminal work from Cartwright and colleagues 24 indicating that REM sleep may play an important role in mood regulation.”
Cowdin, N., Kobayashi, I., & Mellman, T. A. (2014) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-014-3857-5 · Cited by 92
“…include the thalamic nuclei and limbic regions including the amygdala, areas shown to have altered activity during wake in PtsD (shin et al. 2006; van der helm et al. 2011). therefore, it might be possible that reduced REM theta activity represents weaker communication between these structures.”
Cunningham, T. J., Crowell, C. R., Alger, S. E., Kensinger, E. A., Villano, M. A., Mattingly, S. M., & Payne, J. D. (2014) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2014.06.002 · Cited by 99
“…that is currently a subject of debate, with competing theories arguing that sleep acts to protect (Baran et al., 2012; Groch et al., 2013), potentiate (Lara-Carrasco et al., 2009; Wagner et al., 2002) or depotentiate (van der Helm et al., 2011; Walker & van der Helm, 2009) emotional reactivity.”
BackgroundPrimitive mechanisms of trauma response: an evolutionary perspective on trauma-related disorders.
Baldwin, D. V. (2013) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.06.004 · Cited by 85
REM obstructive sleep apnea: risk for adverse health outcomes and novel treatments
Varga, A. W., & Mokhlesi, B. (2018) · Sleep And Breathing · doi:10.1007/s11325-018-1727-2 · Cited by 88
Disturbed Sleep in PTSD: Thinking Beyond Nightmares
Lancel, M., van Marle, H. J. F., van Veen, M., & van Schagen, A. M. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.767760 · Cited by 90
“While memory consolidation takes place during both slow wave sleep (SWS; deep non-REMS) and REMS, the processing of emotional memories is thought to happen primarily during REMS (29).”
BackgroundConsolidative mechanisms of emotional processing in REM sleep and PTSD
Murkar, A., & Koninck, J. D. (2018) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2018.03.001 · Cited by 87
Sleep and dreaming are for important matters
Perogamvros, L., Dang-Vu, T. T., Desseilles, M., & Schwartz, S. (2013) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00474 · Cited by 77
“The phasic VTA dopamine signals during REM sleep (Dahan et al., 2007) may favor an off-line replay of recent emotional memory traces during this sleep stage (Walker and Van Der Helm, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluentialOvernight worsening of emotional distress indicates maladaptive sleep in insomnia
Wassing, R., Benjamins, J. S., Talamini, L. M., Schalkwijk, F., & Van Someren, E. J. W. (2019) · Sleep · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy268 · Cited by 78
“downregulation fails when sleep is perturbed [20, 26].”
Corsi‐Cabrera, M., Velasco, F., del Río‐Portilla, Y., Armony, J. L., Trejo‐Martínez, D., Guevara, M. Á., & Velasco, A. L. (2016) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.12415 · Cited by 75
“…the activity of this structure during REM sleep underlies the generation of the emotional content of REM sleep dreaming and contributes to the reprocessing and consolidation of emotional experiences during REM sleep (Deliens et al., 2014; Hobson and Pace-Schott, 2002; Van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundSleeping Worries Away or Worrying Away Sleep? Physiological Evidence on Sleep-Emotion Interactions
Talamini, L. M., Bringmann, L. F., de Boer, M., & Hofman, W. F. (2013) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062480 · Cited by 80
Haunted by the past: old emotions remain salient in insomnia disorder
Wassing, R., Schalkwijk, F. W., Lakbila‐Kamal, O., Ramautar, J. R., Stoffers, D., Mutsaerts, H. J. M. M., Talamini, L. M., & Someren, E. J. W. V. (2019) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awz089 · Cited by 76
Vanderheyden, W. M., George, S. A., Urpa, L., Kehoe, M., Liberzon, I., & Poe, G. R. (2015) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-015-4302-0 · Cited by 80
The role of sleep in cognitive processing: focusing on memory consolidation
Chambers, A. M. (2017) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Cognitive Science · doi:10.1002/wcs.1433 · Cited by 81
“Connectivity between the amygdala and the frontal cortex also increased following sleep, but decreased across wake, suggesting a role for increased top–down cognitive control in reducing the emotional responses associated with emotional memory following sleep.(59) This hypothesis also ascribes an important role to REM…”
BackgroundInfluentialCipolli, C., Ferrara, M., De Gennaro, L., & Plazzi, G. (2017) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2016.07.005 · Cited by 67
Dream engineering: Simulating worlds through sensory stimulation
Carr, M., Horowitz, A. H., Amores, J., Lopes, P., Bernal, G., Gálvez, T. A. V., Rosello, O., Jain, A., & Maes, P. (2020) · Consciousness and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.concog.2020.102955 · Cited by 74
Pesonen, A., Gradisar, M., Kuula, L., Short, M. A., Merikanto, I., Tark, R., Räikkönen, K., & Lahti, J. M. T. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.11.077 · Cited by 75
What about dreams ? State of the art and open questions
Scarpelli, S., Alfonsi, V., Gorgoni, M., & Gennaro, L. D. (2022) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13609 · Cited by 74
“More indepth, the theta (Nishida et al., 2009; Boyce et al., 2016; Sopp et al., 2018) and gamma activities (Van Der Helm et al., 2011) were identified as the EEG markers of emotional memory processing.”
BackgroundAssociation of poor subjective sleep quality with suicidal ideation among pregnant Peruvian women
Gelaye, B., Barrios, Y. V., Zhong, Q., Rondón, M. B., Borba, C. P. C., Sánchez, S. E., Henderson, D. C., & Williams, M. A. (2015) · General Hospital Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2015.04.014 · Cited by 67
“Results from both experimental and nonexperimental manipulations of sleep studies support this thesis [60,61].”
High Density Electroencephalography in Sleep Research: Potential, Problems, Future Perspective
Lustenberger, C., & Huber, R. (2012) · Frontiers in Neurology · doi:10.3389/fneur.2012.00077 · Cited by 66
“However, van der Helm et al. (2011) showed a negative correlation between the overnight decrease in emotion reactivity (emotion regulation) and gamma activity during REM sleep.”
BackgroundEnhancing imagery rehearsal therapy for nightmares with targeted memory reactivation
Schwartz, S., Clerget, A., & Perogamvros, L. (2022) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.032 · Cited by 67
Sleep and olfactory cortical plasticity
Barnes, D. C., & Wilson, D. A. (2014) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00134 · Cited by 68
“REM sleep is characterized by fast, low-amplitude oscillatory activity in the θ-band (4–8 Hz) and higher frequency bands characteristic of waking (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundBright Light Therapy in Parkinson's Disease: An Overview of the Background and Evidence
Rutten, S., Vriend, C., van den Heuvel, O. A., Smit, J. H., Berendse, H. W., & van der Werf, Y. D. (2012) · Parkinson s Disease · doi:10.1155/2012/767105 · Cited by 63
“Patients with porfyria, macular degeneration, retinal dystrophy, lupus erythematosus, chronic actinic dermatitis, and solar urticaria can have photosensitization reactions to light and should only receive BLT under monitoring of an ophthalmologist or dermatologist [78].”
BackgroundSleep Disorders Associated with Neurodegenerative Diseases
Anghel, L., Ciubară, A., Nechita, A., Nechita, L., Manole, C., Baroiu, L., Ciubară, A. B., & Mușat, C. L. (2023) · Diagnostics · doi:10.3390/diagnostics13182898 · Cited by 71
“This observation offers a potential explanation for the frequent comorbidity of mood disorders and disturbances in sleep patterns [8].”
Overnight neuronal plasticity and adaptation to emotional distress
Cabrera, Y., Koymans, K. J., Poe, G. R., Kessels, H. W. H. G., Someren, E. J. W. V., & Wassing, R. (2024) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/s41583-024-00799-w · Cited by 68
“During REM sleep , instead of being”
Sleep and Affect: A Conceptual ReviewPreprint
ten Brink, M., Dietch, J. R., Tutek, J., Suh, S. A., Gross, J. J., & Manber, R. (2022) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101670 · Cited by 66
Werner, G. G., Schabus, M., Blechert, J., Kolodyazhniy, V., & Wilhelm, F. H. (2015) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.12404 · Cited by 62
Effect of sleep deprivation on emotional working memory
Gerhardsson, A., Åkerstedt, T., Axelsson, J., Fischer, H., Lekander, M., & Schwarz, J. (2018) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.12744 · Cited by 65
Why REM sleep? Clues beyond the laboratory in a more challenging world
Horne, J. (2012) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2012.10.010 · Cited by 61
Sex, Sleep Deprivation, and the Anxious Brain
Goldstein‐Piekarski, A. N., Greer, S. M., Saletin, J., Harvey, A. G., Williams, L. M., & Walker, M. P. (2017) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn_a_01225 · Cited by 57
“This association is conversely restored by a full night of sleep (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
Self-citationREM sleep and memory reorganization: Potential relevance for psychiatry and psychotherapy
Landmann, N., Kühn, M., Maier, J.-G., Spiegelhalder, K., Baglioni, C., Frase, L., Riemann, D. W., Sterr, A., & Nissen, C. (2015) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2015.01.004 · Cited by 59
Llewellyn, S. (2013) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x12003135 · Cited by 95
“…also play a cathartic role in emotion regulation, with REM sleep reducing the brain's reactivity to waking emotional experiences, simultaneously decreasing the intensity of previous affective experiences and diminishing subjective emotionality on the subsequent day (van der Helm et al. 2011b).”
BackgroundSimor, P., Krietsch, K. N., Köteles, F. G., & McCrae, C. S. (2015) · International Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s12529-015-9464-4 · Cited by 58
“Although the present study only examined the subjective quality of sleep in a natural setting, experimental manipulations underscore the influence of sleep-specific neural patterns as biological markers of sleep-related emotional information processing [31, 32].”
BackgroundEichenlaub, J.-B., van Rijn, E., Gaskell, M. G., Lewis, P. A., Maby, E., Malinowski, J. E., Walker, M. P., Boy, F., & Blagrove, M. (2018) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsy041 · Cited by 53
Self-citationFear extinction memory is negatively associated with REM sleep in insomnia disorder
Bottary, R. M., Seo, J., Daffre, C., Gazecki, S., Moore, K. N., Kopotiyenko, K., Dominguez, J. P., Gannon, K., Lasko, N. B., Roth, B. R., et al. (2020) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsaa007 · Cited by 52
Wieczorek, T., Wieckiewicz, M. A., Smardz, J., Wojakowska, A., Michałek-Zrąbkowska, M., Mazur, G. J., & Martynowicz, H. (2020) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13028 · Cited by 53
Delayed fear extinction in individuals with insomnia disorder
Seo, J., Moore, K. N., Gazecki, S., Bottary, R. M., Milad, M. R., Song, H., & Pace-Schott, E. F. (2018) · Sleep · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy095 · Cited by 49
Hopkins, J. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00922 · Cited by 53
“…work on REM dreaming as performing “emotional valence re-evaluation and adjustment” in updating and revising the amygdala-related emotions associated with memory (van der Helm et al., 2011; Genzel et al., 2015 see also Gujar et al., 2011; Goldstein and Walker, 2014; Hutchinson and Rathmore, 2015).”
BackgroundAssociation Between Short Sleep Duration and Risk Behavior Factors in Middle School Students
Owens, J., Wang, G., Lewin, D. S., Skora, E., & Baylor, A. (2016) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsw004 · Cited by 52
“Moreover, in addition to homeostatic sleep regulation, disruption of the circadian system and selective deprivation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, two conditions particularly relevant to adolescents for whom early school start times are in large part responsible for chronic sleep loss, may further compound emotion…”
Barton, J. C., Kyle, S. D., Varese, F., Jones, S. H., & Haddock, G. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.02.008 · Cited by 57
Llewellyn, S., & Hobson, J. A. (2015) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2015.04.005 · Cited by 54
Emotional bias of sleep-dependent processing shifts from negative to positive with aging
Jones, B. J., Schultz, K. S., Adams, S. M., Baran, B., & Spencer, R. M. C. (2016) · Neurobiology of Aging · doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2016.05.019 · Cited by 53
“…and physiological measures including skin conductance, heart rate, facial electromyography, neural event-related potentials, and amygdala fMRI activity (Baran et al., 2012; Cunningham et al., 2014; Groch et al., 2013; Pace-Schott et al., 2011; van der Helm et al., 2011; Werner et al., 2015).”
BackgroundResultTemporal Relations between Cortical Network Oscillations and Breathing Frequency during REM Sleep
Tort, A. B. L., Hammer, M., Zhang, J., Brankačk, J., & Draguhn, A. (2021) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.3067-20.2021 · Cited by 52
“…is that these activity states play a role in processing emotional information, one of the main functions attributed to REM sleep (van der Helm et al., 2011; Groch et al., 2013; Hutchison and Rathore, 2015; Tempesta et al., 2018), especially considering that experiencing emotions has…”
BackgroundAn attempt to identify reproducible high-density EEG markers of PTSD during sleep
Wang, C., Ramakrishnan, S., Laxminarayan, S., Dovzhenok, A. A., Cashmere, J. D., Germain, A., & Jaques Reifman, A. (2019) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsz207 · Cited by 49
“We examined REM theta power because theta waves during REM sleep have been associated with emotional memory consolidation [28], a function that has been postulated to be affected in PTSD [52].”
BackgroundRihm, J. S., & Rasch, B. (2015) · Neurobiology of Learning and Memory · doi:10.1016/j.nlm.2015.04.008 · Cited by 50
“…covert amygdaloid reactivations, causing a strengthening of the declarative, informational content of the memory and a decrease of the emotional reactivity to this memory (Van der Helm et al., 2011; Walker & van der Helm, 2009, although see Baran et al., 2012; see Rasch & Born, 2013 for a review).”
BackgroundThe Role of Sleep in Human Declarative Memory Consolidation
Alger, S. E., Chambers, A. M., Cunningham, T. J., & Payne, J. D. (2014) · Current topics in behavioral neurosciences · doi:10.1007/7854_2014_341 · Cited by 55
Rantamäki, T., & Kohtala, S. (2020) · Pharmacological Reviews · doi:10.1124/pr.119.018697 · Cited by 45
The effect of sleep restriction on empathy for pain: An fMRI study in younger and older adults
Tamm, S., Nilsonne, G., Schwarz, J., Lamm, C., Kecklund, G., Petrović, P., Fischer, H., Åkerstedt, T., & Lekander, M. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12098-9 · Cited by 46
Drews, H. J., Wallot, S., Brysch, P., Berger-Johannsen, H., Weinhold, S. L., Mitkidis, P., Baier, P. C., Lechinger, J., Roepstorff, A., & Göder, R. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00583 · Cited by 51
“REM sleep is related to dissolving emotional stress (51) and balancing fear-related amygdala reactiveness (52, 53).”
BackgroundNightmares in narcolepsy: underinvestigated symptom?
Pisko, J., Pastorek, L., Buskova, J., Sonka, K., & Nevsimalova, S. (2014) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2014.03.006 · Cited by 46
“Hence, intense emotionally charged dreams such as nightmares may serve overall to decrease emotionality [38].”
BackgroundRole of normal sleep and sleep apnea in human memory processing
Ahuja, S., Chen, R. K., Kam, K., Pettibone, W. D., Osorio, R. S., & Varga, A. W. (2018) · Nature and Science of Sleep · doi:10.2147/nss.s125299 · Cited by 50
“This increased connectivity was paralleled by an overall decrease in amygdala reactivity following sleep, and decreased gamma power during REM sleep was significantly associated with a decrease in subjective emotional reactivity ratings.(87)”
Sleep and intrusive memories immediately after a traumatic event in emergency department patients
Porcheret, K., Iyadurai, L., Bonsall, M. B., Goodwin, G. M., Beer, S., Darwent, M., & Holmes, E. A. (2020) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsaa033 · Cited by 45
“One approach to targeting intrusive memories is a brief behavioral procedure, involving a memory reminder cue followed by a visual interference task (playing the computer game Tetris), delivered within the first few hours post-trauma [49]: recent proof-of-concept trials show a reduction in the number of intrusive memo…”
BackgroundGalbiati, A., Giora, E., Sarasso, S., Zucconi, M., & Ferini-Strambi, L. (2018) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2017.10.002 · Cited by 43
van Marle, H. J. F., Hermans, E. J., Qin, S., Overeem, S., & Fernández, G. (2013) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2013.01.009 · Cited by 44
“A recent study illustrated emotional depotentiation over sleep (albeit independent of memory) (van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundMemory Processing in Relation to Sleep
Peigneux, P., & Smith, C. T. (2011) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-1-4160-6645-3.00029-3 · Cited by 45
Targeted memory reactivation in REM but not SWS selectively reduces arousal responses
Hutchison, I. C., Pezzoli, S., Tsimpanouli, M.-E., Abdellahi, M. E. A., Pobric, G., Hulleman, J., & Lewis, P. A. (2021) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-021-01854-3 · Cited by 48
McCall, C. A., & Watson, N. F. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm11020415 · Cited by 42
Sleep macrostructure is modulated by positive and negative social experience in adult pet dogs
Kis, A., Gergely, A. E., Galambos, Á., Abdai, J., Gombos, F., Bódizs, R., & Topál, J. (2017) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2017.1883 · Cited by 45
Feng, P., Becker, B., Zheng, Y., & Feng, T. (2017) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsx148 · Cited by 40
“…acquisition following SD converge with previous findings reporting an SD-associated generalized failure to habituate during fear acquisition (Peters et al., 2014), lack of decrease in negative emotional reactivity (van der Helm et al., 2011), and enhanced impulsivity (Anderson and Platten, 2011).”
BackgroundSleep divergently affects cognitive and automatic emotional response in children
Bolinger, E., Jan Born, A., & Zinke, K. (2018) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.05.015 · Cited by 43
The association between emotional dysregulation and REM sleep features in insomnia disorder
Galbiati, A., Sforza, M., Fasiello, E., Casoni, F. M., Marrella, N., Leitner, C., Zucconi, M., & Ferini‐Strambi, L. (2020) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105642 · Cited by 49
Pace-Schott, E. F., Tracy, L. E., Rubin, Z. S., Mollica, A. G., Ellenbogen, J. M., Bianchi, M. T., Milad, M. R., Pitman, R. K., & Orr, S. P. (2014) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-014-3829-9 · Cited by 44
Stage 2 Sleep EEG Sigma Activity and Motor Learning in Childhood ADHD: A Pilot Study
Saletin, J., Coon, W. G., & Carskadon, M. A. (2016) · Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology · doi:10.1080/15374416.2016.1157756 · Cited by 44
“A power spectral analysis of the Stage 2 NREM sleep EEG was performed following established procedures (Kurth et al., 2010; Mander, Santhanam, Saletin, & Walker, 2011; Ringli et al., 2013; van Der Helm et al., 2011).”
MethodSelf-citationGroch, S., Preiss, A., McMakin, D. L., Rasch, B., Walitza, S., Huber, R., & Wilhelm, I. (2017) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1912-16.2017 · Cited by 43
“…of emotional memories not only results in the strengthening of memories (as reflected by a decrease in pleasantness ratings for negative stimuli in our study) but also in the reduction of their affective tone (Walker and van der Helm, 2009; Gujar et al., 2011; van der Helm et al., 2011).”
BackgroundMorning REM Sleep Naps Facilitate Broad Access to Emotional Semantic Networks
Carr, M., & Nielsen, T. (2015) · SLEEP · doi:10.5665/sleep.4504 · Cited by 39
Laugh yourself to sleep: memory consolidation for humorous information
Chambers, A. M., & Payne, J. D. (2013) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s00221-013-3779-7 · Cited by 38
Metadata
- Authors
- van der Helm, E., Yao, J., Dutt, S., Rao, V., Saletin, J. M., & Walker, M. P.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Walker, Matthew P.
- Venue
- Current Biology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-12
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 23
- Pages
- 2029-2032
- ISSN
- 0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3237718
- OpenAlex
- W2107118962
- Cited by
- 379
- References
- 50
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 26 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 27 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 10.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Current Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- UC Berkeley College of Chemistry
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG031164)
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH093537)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- REM sleep, amygdala, depotentiation, emotional memory, sleep and emotion, anxiety disorders, hyperarousal, functional connectivity, hippocampus, mood disorders
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Amygdala, Analysis of Variance, Electroencephalography, Emotions, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neural Pathways, Reaction Time, Sleep, REM, Prefrontal Cortex, Long-Term Synaptic Depression
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
