Graph in coursemanual –> relationship of amygdala & sleep deprivation
reduced sleep increases the brain’s amygdala activity –> because decreased connectivity between the mPFC & ventral ACC with amygdala (PFC cannot inhibit amygdala as well anymore)
What does an increased amygdala activity mean? Does it mean that bad sleep (reduced sleep quality, sleep deprivation, less sleeping time) makes us more emotional?
-makes us more emotional –> amygdala activity increased (dysbalance; negativity bias)
How does (bad) sleep influence our emotional experiences & responsiveness?
- sleep loss: increase the experience of negative emotions, reduce the occurrence of positive emotions, & alter the ways in which individuals understand, express & modify these emotions
- study selectively depriving participants of REM sleep found that behavioral & neural activity in response to threatening stimuli increased, but decreased in a group undergoing similar, but NREM sleep deprivation
“sleep to forget, sleep to remember” model
-REM sleep periods both strengthen the declarative component of emotional experiences via activation of the same emotion-related brain structures & attenuate their affective tone via inhibition of aminergic NTs , resulting in successful reactivation & neural integration of emotional events
- contrasting to REM sleep emotional memory enhancement model
- emotional charge will be reduced while consolidating content
- -> forget = emotion, remember = content
What does sleep loss generally lead to regarding emotions?
general ‘affective imbalance’ across a full range of emotions
Where in the brain can alterations be found after extended wakefulness?
alterations in ACC & amygdala activity
Does inadequate sleep influences our daily emotionality by altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> neural evidence
effects of sleep deprivation include decreased connectivity between the mPFC & ventral ACC with amygdala
–> suggesting global problems with monitoring & regulatory control
How does inadequate sleep influence our daily emotionality by
altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> 1. Situation selection
- insufficient sleep can directly undermine motivation to seek out & participate in rewarding social activities
- in line with altered neural reward circuitry findings –> decreased motivation for & altered valuation of rewards
- less sleep might also increase the likelihood of experiencing negative emotions via situational decisions –> overt or covert avoidance of negative outcomes, call in sick, cancel appointments & meetings& skip out on social activities due to feelings of fatigue & sleepiness
==> sleep loss significantly alters behavior in ways that decrease the likelihood of situating oneself in positive emotional contexts
How does inadequate sleep influence our daily emotionality by altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> 2. Situation modification
- sleep deprivation: impaired decision making & poor impulse control
- diminished ability to self-monitor, appropriately interact with others, pick up on others’ nonverbal cues & accurately identify others’ emotions when sleep is disrupted
- difficulty delaying gratification & more deviant behaviours
How does inadequate sleep influence our daily emotionality by altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> 3. Attentional deployment
- -> failure to use attentional strategies to effectively regulate one’s emotional responses
- -> disrupted sleep impairs attention to emotional information & may increase the salience of negative, threatening information
- -> sleep deprivation results in greater sustained attention & inability to direct attention away from negative information
- vigilance for potential threats
How does inadequate sleep influence our daily emotionality by altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> 4. Cognitive change
- lack of sleep might interfere with successful reappraisal
- -> cognitive reappraisal ability may be somewhat resistant to sleep loss effects
How does inadequate sleep influence our daily emotionality by altering/influencing our emotion-regulation abilities?
–> 5. Response modulation
after restricted sleep: used less positive emotion words, more negative emotion words & showed changes in the acoustic properties of their voice including increased sadness, low physiological activation & stress/anxiety
–> most: emot. expression reduced (mixed result)
What aspects of sleep (e.g. REM, SWS) are most important in this (ER?) ?
–> REM sleep
- model: REM sleep rouses emotional reactivity, reinforcing the salience of emotional events
- REM sleep: most commonly linked with consolidation of emotional memories & preservation of their affective tone
- During NRM sleep the aminergic + cholinergic neurotransmitters and orexin are all inhibited through the VLPO-mediated release of GABA and galanin which decreases arousal
- During REM sleep the release of aminergic neurotransmitters of the brainstem is inhibited whereas acetylcholine is released from neurons in the brainstem
- -> orexin is also released & GABA & galanin are released from the brainstem & VLPO to inhibit the aminergic brainstem neurons
-REM sleep is involved in fear & extinction memory performance, showing that it benefited from REM-rich sleep, but not SWS-rich sleep; on the other hand, lack of REM sleep impaired extinction memory consolidation & promoted a return of fear after extinction
Which neural mechanisms underlie the influence of sleep on emotionality or our ER capacity?
- after extended wakefulness–> alterations in ACC & amygdala activity
- increased reactivity to positive emotional stimuli also is observed in select striatal brain regions–> putamen & VTA
- effects of sleep deprivation include decreased connectivity between the mPFC & ventral ACC with amygdala –> suggesting global problems with monitoring & regulatory control
- Executive functioning capacities involve structures in the DLPFC, AC, parietal cortices that are particularly sensitive to sleep loss
- Sleep-deprived individuals showed a significant loss of functional connectivity between the amygdala & mPFC –> potentially negating top-down control & resulting in hyperactivity of the amygdala
‘REM sleep emotional memory enhancement model’
- when you have REM sleep, emotional charge is consolidated with declarative content
- > strengthens emotional content (together)
REM sleep recalibration model
- neurobiological features of REM contributes to next day homeostasis (REM balances out emotional intensity)
- reduces noradrenalin –> emotional intensity balanced again
- supported by PTSD (still have high adrenaline in REM sleep; altered REM sleep; why they cannot forget emotions)
- -> goes hand in hand with sleep to forget, sleep to remember theory
Emotional processing
- sleep: crucial to encode emotional memories
- consolidation: requires many sleep cycles (mood dependent memory impaired)
- emotional reactivity: imbalanced; sleep -> balance/homeostasis; no sleep –> more irritable
- facial emotional cues: sleep –> good at detecting emotions in faces; no sleep –> overestimate threat; overestimate emotional intensity
Empathy - no sleep
lower EI & less empathy
Fear conditioning
- REM –> promotes conditioning & extinction
- no sleep –> extinction impaired (anxiety, phobias)
Threat generalization
- good sleep –> extinction can be generalized
- no sleep –> you start generalizing threats
Which neural mechanisms underlie the influence of sleep on emotionality or our ER capacity?
–> S&C model
-S: homeostatic process
–> daily influences get renewed every day/ your emotional balance
–> PFC & amygdala
–> less sleep: less connectivty of PFC & amygdala
–> emot. reactivity (more impulsive)
–> unsuccessful ER
–> adenosin: NT gets more throughout the day the longer you’re awake
==> duration of sleep
-Process C: circadian sleep process
–> internal states: how late it is (light, food)
–> sleep loss e.g. jet lag
–> important for mood regulation
–> negative mood regulation: circadian low
–> postive mood regulation: circadian high
==> timing of sleep
