PMID: 22568116May 10, 2012Paper

Sleep medicine for the prevention of prolonged stress and posttraumatic stress disorder

Seishin shinkeigaku zasshi = Psychiatria et neurologia Japonica
Kenichi Kuriyama

Abstract

Although evidences of sleep-dependent learning have now been condensed across a wide variety of mnemonic domains including emotional memory and fear-conditioned memory, it remains unknown whether sleep deprivation helps prevent posttraumatic stress disorder. We examined the effects of total sleep deprivation on subsequent enhancement of aversive event memory, implicit fear recognition, and fear conditioning in healthy humans. Results suggested that sleep deprivation extinguishes the fear-magnifying effects of memory during sleep, and that insomnia as an acute stress response might provide prophylactic benefits in reducing the development of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.