Citation

Richards A, Inslicht SS, Yack LM, Metzler TJ, Huie JR, Straus LD, Dukes C, Hubachek SQ, Felmingham KL, Mathalon DH, Woodward SH, Neylan TC. Sleep 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Publisher Associated Professional Sleep Societies)

DOI

10.1093/sleep/zsab271

PMID

34792165

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Published research indicates that sleep is involved in emotional information processing. Using a fear-potentiated startle (FPS) and nap sleep protocol, we examined the relationship of emotional learning with REM sleep (REMS) in trauma-exposed participants. We also explored the roles of PTSD symptoms, biological sex, and an integrative measure of polysomnography-measured (PSG) sleep in the learning-sleep relationship.

METHODS: After an adaptation nap, participants (N=46) completed 2 more visits (counterbalanced): a stress-condition visit, which included FPS conditioning procedures prior to a nap and assessment of learning retention and fear extinction training after the nap, and a control visit, which included a nap opportunity without stressful procedures. FPS conditioning included a "fear" visual stimulus paired with an air blast to the neck and a "safety" visual stimulus never paired with an air blast. Retention and extinction involved presentation of the visual stimuli without the air blast. Primary analyses examined the relationship between FPS responses pre- and post- sleep with stress-condition REMS duration, controlling for control-nap REMS duration.

RESULTS: Higher safety learning predicted increased REMS and increased REMS predicted more rapid extinction learning. Similar relationships were observed with an integrative PSG sleep measure. They also showed unexpected effects of PTSD symptoms on learning and showed biological sex effects on learning-sleep relationships.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings support evidence of a relationship between adaptive emotional learning and REMS. They underscore the importance of examining sex effects in sleep-learning relationships. They introduce an integrative PSG sleep measure with potential relevance to studies of sleep and subjective and biological outcomes.

Language: en

Keywords

PTSD; Sleep; Fear conditioning; Fear-Potentiated Startle; Polysomnography; REM Sleep