Anxiety disorders are among the most frequently occurring psychiatric conditions in the population, and are associated with serious personal and societal costs. While anxiety has independently been associated with significant sleep disruption and dysfunctional emotional brain regulation, the interaction amongst these three factors is poorly understood. Characterizing this interactive association may offer the potential not only to gain a deeper understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying anxiety, but also aid in the development of preventative strategies and effective treatments for the amelioration of anxiety. These proposed experiments combine functional MRI (fMRI), high-density sleep EEG recordings and behavioural assessments to test the hypotheses that high anxiety status (a) predisposes individuals to the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation and (b) subsequently negates the restorative benefit of recovery sleep on emotional brain reactivity, following deprivation. Considering the continued erosion of sleep time across society and the high prevalence of anxiety disorders, understanding the causal associations between anxiety, sleep impairment, and emotional brain reactivity has considerable therapeutic, clinical and public health ramifications.

Public Health Relevance

Combining brain imaging (fMRI) and high-density EEG measures of sleep, this proposal aims to characterize how anxiety, and the abnormalities associated with anxiety, predispose individuals to the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation, and subsequently prevents the restorative benefit of recovery sleep, on emotional brain reactivity. Considering the continued erosion of sleep time across society and the high prevalence of anxiety disorders, understanding the causal associations between anxiety, sleep impairment, and emotional brain reactivity has considerable therapeutic as well as clinical and public health ramifications.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
1F31MH094075-01A1
Application #
8255941
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F03B-G (20))
Program Officer
Rubio, Mercedes
Project Start
2011-09-16
Project End
2014-09-15
Budget Start
2011-09-16
Budget End
2012-09-15
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$33,886
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Berkeley
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
124726725
City
Berkeley
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94704
Goldstein-Piekarski, Andrea N; Greer, Stephanie M; Saletin, Jared M et al. (2018) Sex, Sleep Deprivation, and the Anxious Brain. J Cogn Neurosci 30:565-578
Saletin, Jared M; Goldstein-Piekarski, Andrea N; Greer, Stephanie M et al. (2016) Human Hippocampal Structure: A Novel Biomarker Predicting Mnemonic Vulnerability to, and Recovery from, Sleep Deprivation. J Neurosci 36:2355-63
Goldstein-Piekarski, Andrea N; Greer, Stephanie M; Saletin, Jared M et al. (2015) Sleep Deprivation Impairs the Human Central and Peripheral Nervous System Discrimination of Social Threat. J Neurosci 35:10135-45
Goldstein, Andrea N; Walker, Matthew P (2014) The role of sleep in emotional brain function. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 10:679-708
Goldstein, Andrea N; Greer, Stephanie M; Saletin, Jared M et al. (2013) Tired and apprehensive: anxiety amplifies the impact of sleep loss on aversive brain anticipation. J Neurosci 33:10607-15