6 sleep and emotion regulation

Question 1

what is emotional regulation

Answer 1

Gross (1998) the process by which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express their emotions

Question 2

Sleep disruption is associated with

Answer 2

Emotional and mental health- and optimal cognitive functioning.
= Sleep deprivation can impair cognitive performance

Question 3

What stage of sleep is emotion processing associated with

Answer 3

During REM sleep.
Fragmentation of REM sleep may disrupt the functioning of emotional brain networks during this stage of sleep, contributing to further emotional disturbances.

Question 4

what are the brain regions associated with REM sleep

Answer 4

Amygdala and cortical regions

Question 5

Why is REM sleep associated with emotion processing

Answer 5

1. increased activity during REM sleep.
2. alterations and abnormalities in REM are associated with daytime affective states
3. mood disorders have been linked to alterations in REM sleep

Question 6

Emotion and sleep relationship

Answer 6

Bidirectional relationship.
* If we are emotionally aroused or upset then we find it harder to go to sleep.
*

Question 7

Emotion and sleep relationship

Answer 7

Bidirectional relationship.

• If we are emotionally aroused or upset then we find it harder to go to sleep.
• but how we sleep influences emotional reactivity, recognition and memories.

Question 8

Sleep and emotion regulation

Answer 8

Dinges et al., (1997)
Pps restricted to 4-5 hrs of sleep per night for 7 days. Base line: ppartial sleep restriction= more cognitive and emotional complaints compared to baseline and recovery.

Question 9

sleep to forget sleep to remember model

Answer 9

Walker and Helm (2009)
Sleep helps us to encode emotional memories.
- Rem sleep enables an emotional homeostasis.
- Emotional memories dont feel as intense.
- Rem sleep activates the brain regions associated with an emotion but takes away the affective tone associated with that memory.

Question 10

How does REM sleep reduce the affective tone?

Answer 10

during waking you form episodic emotional memories which involve coordinated activity between the hippocampus, cortical structures and amygdala.
- during REM the structures are reactivated in order to reprocess previously learnt emotional experiences.
the affective tone is reduced and the emotion involved is also reduced.

Question 11

what are the function of dreams

Answer 11

dreams are associated with emotional regulation and presumed to serve an adaptive function.
between 75% and 9%% of dreams contain emotional contexts.
- nightmares reflect a failure to regulate out emotions- PTSD.

Question 12

Sleep and emotional reactivity

Answer 12

Yoo et al., (2007)
26 individuals assigned to SD or control.
SD 35 hours. Viewed emotional stimulus whilst fMRI. 100 images.

Question 13

Sleep and emotional reactivity

Answer 13

Yoo et al., (2007)
26 individuals assigned to SD or control.
SD 35 hours. Viewed emotional stimulus whilst fMRI. 100 images.
All show increased amygdala activation to negative images.
SD show 60% more.

Question 14

the extent of amygdala engagement

Answer 14

The medial prefrontal cotex exerts an inhibitory, top down control of the amygdala.
in SD the MPFC and amygdala become cdisconnected. Resulting in overactive emotions.

Question 15

Sleep and emotion recognition

Answer 15

Gujar et al (2011) pps looked at expression fear, sad, anger and happy.

• no nap : much more sensitive to negative: fear and anger.
• 90 min nap with REM: happy.
• 90 min nap with no REM: no significant changes.

Question 16

sleep and mental health

90% of patients with depression report problems with their sleep

Answer 16

THe cycle of depression

Question 17

sleep in depressed people

Answer 17

Steiger and Kinura (2010)

decreased SWS, decreased REM latency, , increased REM densitiy (frequency of eye movements per unit of time), increased tim in REM

Question 18

Effect of antidepressants on REM sleep:

Answer 18

MArtinez- Gonzalez et al., (2002): co-morbidity of insomnia.
The time taken to get into REMdecreases.
Time in REM also decreases.

Question 19

Neural basis of REM sleep

Answer 19

Serotonergic activity is high during wakefulness, decreased during NREM and silent during REM.

• REM regulated by the reciprocal inhbition of REM- on and REM off neurons

Question 20

REM on neurons

Answer 20

cholinergic neurons in the lateral pons, neurns located in the medial pontine reticular formation.
During REM there is increased cholinergic activity in these regions. Whereas the termination of REM causes great reduction in activity.

Question 21

REM off neurons

Answer 21

neurons located in serotonergic and noradrenergic systems.
Medial raphe nucleus (5HT neurons).
Locus coeruleus
highly active during waking reduce activity during SWS and sig decrease during initiation and onset of REM

Question 22

Why depressed?

Answer 22

depression associated with low levels of serotonin and noradrenaline- therefore: cant switch REM off as these are required.

Question 23

Rem on and Off cycle

Answer 23

oscillate in a rhythmic fashion inducing sleep, dreaming and waking.
THe REM off neurons ceease to fire, the REM on neurons become highly active until a REM episode is produces.
However as REM on neuron activity decreases REM off activity increases. THus setting into motion a continous 90 min cycle of REM.

Question 24

REM deprivation in a healthy person

Answer 24

Impairs emotional regulation

Question 25

REM deprivation in individual with depression

Answer 25

could improve emotional functioning

Question 26

why is there a link with mental illness

Answer 26

sleep disruption and mental illness share common and overlapping brain pathways.
Sleep disruption may exacerbate the mental illness and mental illness may exacerbate the sleep disruption.