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Consolidative mechanisms of emotional processing in REM sleep and PTSD.

A. Murkar, J. de Koninck

Sleep Medicine Reviews October 1, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2018.03.001 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics PTSD
Key points Proposes a model in which REM-dependent consolidation of learned fear is altered in PTSD, arguing that reduced efficacy of inhibitory medial-prefrontal pathways may lead to maladaptive processing of traumatic memories during early consolidation after trauma.

Abstract

Research suggests sleep plays a role in the consolidation of recently acquired memories for long-term storage. rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been shown to play a complex role in emotional-memory processing, and may be involved in subsequent waking-day emotional reactivity and amygdala responsivity. Interaction of the hippocampus and basolateral amygdala with the medial-prefrontal cortex is associated with sleep-dependent learning and emotional memory processing. REM is also implicated in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is characterized by sleep disturbance, heightened reactivity to fearful stimuli, and nightmares. Many suffers of PTSD also exhibit dampened medial-prefrontal cortex activity. However, the effects of PTSD-related brain changes on REM-dependent consolidation or the notion of 'over-consolidation' (strengthening of memory traces to such a degree that they become resistant to extinction) have been minimally explored. Here, we posit that (in addition to sleep architecture changes) the memory functions of REM must also be altered in PTSD. We propose a model of REM-dependent consolidation of learned fear in PTSD and examine how PTSD-related brain changes might interact with fear learning. We argue that reduced efficacy of inhibitory medial-prefrontal pathways may lead to maladaptive processing of traumatic memories in the early stages of consolidation after trauma.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on PTSD, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Theorizing that Psychedelic Assisted Therapy May Play a Role in the Treatment of Trauma-Induced Personality Disorders. 2024 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The potential use of N-methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA) assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of eating disorders comorbid with PTSD. 2021 Theoretical or philosophical paper
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in adolescents: rationale, potential, risks, and considerations. Adolescents with PTSD 2024 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Agency in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Implications for Therapy 2023 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The Inner World in the Outer World: The Phenomenology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from a Psychoanalytic Perspective 1996 Theoretical or philosophical paper

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