Lots of people feel better after they sleep, not only physically, but also emotionally.
Researchers have discovered a mechanism by which the brain prioritizes positive emotions over negative ones during dream sleep, contributing to the consolidation of emotional memories.
Let's find out more!
Different phases of sleep
The study sheds light on the role of sleep in mental health and suggests potential therapeutic strategies.
During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is associated with vivid dreams, emotional content is particularly intense.
The researchers aimed to understand how and why emotions are processed during this sleep phase.
They found that the prefrontal cortex, responsible for emotion integration in wakefulness, is less active during REM sleep.
The research team, led by Prof. Antoine Adamantidis, investigated how the brain reinforces positive emotions and weakens strongly negative emotions during this sleep phase.
The study involved conditioning mice to associate auditory stimuli with safety and danger.
By recording neural activity during sleep-wake cycles, the researchers identified a dual mechanism.
Neurons' cell bodies remained quiet, while their dendrites (input receivers) were active.
This separation allowed for the encoding of both danger and safety emotions while inhibiting the output of the circuit, preventing over-reaction to emotions, particularly negative ones.
Why it's important
The findings have implications for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where traumatic memories consolidate during sleep.
The discovery offers insights into emotional processing during sleep and provides potential avenues for treating conditions like PTSD.
