Cited by 102Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchSleep and related disordersMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Sleep and emotional memory processing

Open access
van der Helm, Els, Walker, Matthew P.·2011·Sleep Medicine Clinics

Abstract

Cognitive neuroscience continues to build meaningful connections between affective behavior and human brain function. Within the biological sciences, a similar renaissance has taken place, focusing on the role of sleep in various neurocognitive processes, and most recently, the interaction between sleep and emotional regulation. In this article, we survey an array of diverse findings across basic and clinical research domains, resulting in a convergent view of sleep-dependent emotional brain processing. Based on the unique neurobiology of sleep, we outline a model describing the overnight modulation of affective neural systems and the (re)processing of recent emotional experiences, both of which appear to redress the appropriate next-day reactivity of limbic and associated autonomic networks. Furthermore, a REM sleep hypothesis of emotional-memory processing is proposed, the implications of which may provide brain-based insights into the association between sleep abnormalities and the initiation and maintenance of mood disturbances.

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.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.jsmc.2010.12.010

Cites

89 of 89 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

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?

  • NREM sleep is required for optimal wakefulness and cognitive function the following day.

    “REM sleep occurs after slow-wave sleep and allows for emotional memory processing, while NREM sleep is required for optimal wakefulness and cognitive function the following day [19,20,21,22,23].”

    From The Cyclical Battle of Insomnia and Mental Health Impairment in Firefighters: A Narrative Review (2024) · cites this paper as [20]

    The section “Sleep loss, mood stability and emotional brain (re)activity” says sleep deprivation impairs attention and alertness, supporting a general link between sleep and waking function. The “Sleep” section describes NREM sleep but does not establish that NREM specifically is required for optimal next-day wakefulness or cognitive function. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation.

    “Both animal and human studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation (Van der Helm & Walker, 2011).”

    From Using sleep to enhance exposure treatment for anxious children: A pilot study. (2026) · cites this paper as Van der Helm & Walker, 2011

    The “Sleep and Affective Memory Consolidation” section reports human studies in which sleep benefited memory consolidation, particularly for emotional material. It supports the central point, but the passages do not establish the citing sentence’s additional assertion that animal studies have shown this. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • REM sleep occurs after slow-wave sleep and allows for emotional memory processing.

    “REM sleep occurs after slow-wave sleep and allows for emotional memory processing, while NREM sleep is required for optimal wakefulness and cognitive function the following day [19,20,21,22,23].”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
van der Helm, E., & Walker, M. P.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Walker, Matthew P.
Venue
Sleep Medicine Clinics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-03
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
31-43
ISSN
1556-407X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2112401817
Cited by
102
References
89
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 4
FWCI
0.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Sleep Medicine Clinics (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • 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
sleep, emotional memory, emotion regulation, REM sleep, memory consolidation, limbic system, autonomic nervous system, mood disturbance, sleep abnormalities

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