Sleep disruption is a recognized and problematic symptom across the anxiety disorders spectrum. Individuals suffering anxiety additionally display a hallmark signature of enhanced amygdala reactivity to aversive stimuli. Independently, sleep loss in healthy participants results in amplified amygdala reactivity, together with raised levels of anxiety, while the beneficial presence of sleep conversely offers a palliative reduction in next-day aversive reactivity and anxiety. Despite these parallel lines of evidence, the relationship between sleep, anxiety and emotional brain reactivity remains uncharacterized. The need to explore this potentially causal interaction is not only imperative for gaining a deeper understanding of the pathophysiological etiology underlying anxiety, but also for the development of improved preventative strategies and effective treatments for amelioration of anxiety. Across separate experiments combining functional MRI (fMRI), sleep EEG recordings and neurobehavioral assessments, this proposal will test the hypothesis that high anxiety status (1) prevents the normal physiological benefit of sleep in regulating next-day amygdala reactivity, (2) imposes greater vulnerability of the amygdala to the aggravating effects of sleep loss, and (3) negates the benefit of recovery sleep in restoring normative amygdala reactivity, following sleep loss. As such, this proposal represents a systematic evaluation of how anxiety status alters the sleep-dependent regulation of optimal emotional brain function, and how a lack of sleep contributes to the amplified neural signature associated with high anxiety status. Understanding the causal associations between anxiety, sleep impairment, and emotional brain reactivity has considerable clinical and public health ramifications, as well as direct translational treatment applicability. Moreover, considering the continued erosion of sleep time across society, particularly in young populations susceptible to anxiety-related emotion difficulties, the applicability of these studies further increases in relevance.

Public Health Relevance

This proposal represents a systematic evaluation of how anxiety alters the sleep- dependent regulation of optimal emotional brain function, and how a lack of sleep contributes to the amplified neural signature associated with high anxiety status. Understanding the causal associations between anxiety, sleep, and emotional brain reactivity has considerable clinical and public health ramifications, as well as direct translational treatment applicability. Moreover, considering the continued erosion of sleep time across society, particularly in young populations additionally susceptible to anxiety-related emotion difficulties, the applicability of these studies further increases in relevance.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH093537-03
Application #
8609072
Study Section
Neural Basis of Psychopathology, Addictions and Sleep Disorders Study Section (NPAS)
Program Officer
Meinecke, Douglas L
Project Start
2012-02-15
Project End
2017-01-31
Budget Start
2014-02-01
Budget End
2015-01-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Berkeley
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Berkeley
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
94704
Ben Simon, Eti; Walker, Matthew P (2018) Sleep loss causes social withdrawal and loneliness. Nat Commun 9:3146
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
Wilckens, Kristine A; Ferrarelli, Fabio; Walker, Matthew P et al. (2018) Slow-Wave Activity Enhancement to Improve Cognition. Trends Neurosci 41:470-482
Helfrich, Randolph F; Mander, Bryce A; Jagust, William J et al. (2018) Old Brains Come Uncoupled in Sleep: Slow Wave-Spindle Synchrony, Brain Atrophy, and Forgetting. Neuron 97:221-230.e4
Eichenlaub, Jean-Baptiste; van Rijn, Elaine; Gaskell, M Gareth et al. (2018) Incorporation of recent waking-life experiences in dreams correlates with frontal theta activity in REM sleep. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 13:637-647
Soehner, A M; Kaplan, K A; Saletin, J M et al. (2018) You'll feel better in the morning: slow wave activity and overnight mood regulation in interepisode bipolar disorder. Psychol Med 48:249-260
Krause, Adam J; Simon, Eti Ben; Mander, Bryce A et al. (2017) The sleep-deprived human brain. Nat Rev Neurosci 18:404-418
Mander, Bryce A; Winer, Joseph R; Walker, Matthew P (2017) Sleep and Human Aging. Neuron 94:19-36
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

Showing the most recent 10 out of 21 publications