Sleep as a window to treat affective disorders. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Talamini, Lucia M; Juan, Elsa
• Is Part Of: Current opinion in behavioral sciences. Volume 33(2020)
• Page Start: 99
• Page End: 108
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Psychology -- Periodicals; 150.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2020.02.002
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-1546

Abstract

Highlights: Influencing sleep-related processes holds promise to treat affective disorders. Reactivating memories during NREM sleep improves subsequent memory performance. Effects of memory reactivation depend on slow oscillation phase. Conditioning during sleep can alter stimuli's emotional valence and impact behavior. Auditory closed-loop sleep manipulations could help restore healthy sleep patterns. Abstract : Sleep disturbances represent a core symptom in affective disorders. While healthy sleep patterns help to regulate emotions and consolidate memories, disturbed sleep participates in the genesis and maintenance of mental illnesses. As the electrophysiological mechanisms underlying restorative sleep start to be uncovered, exciting opportunities for direct applications arise. Here we discuss the first evidence on manipulation of emotional processing and memories during sleep. In particular, we examine the advantage of targeted memory reactivation procedures, especially when phase-locked to slow oscillations dynamics, in achieving such manipulations. Extrapolating from this knowledge, we propose sleep-based interventions that could provide new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of maladaptive emotional memories, as in phobias, addictions or PTSD.