Background
Sleep after learning supports memory consolidation. However, long-lasting memory effects
of sleep have not yet been investigated. Postlearning sleep may be particularly involved
in the long-term retention of emotional memories and could thereby contribute to the
development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disease thought to result from
overconsolidation of traumatic memories.
Methods
Subjects (healthy men) who had learned neutral and emotional texts immediately before
sleeping or remaining awake for the subsequent 3 hours were recontacted after 4 years
for long-term memory assessment (forced-choice recognition test).
Results
Sleep following learning compared with wakefulness enhanced memory for emotional texts
after 4 years (p = .001). No such enhancement was observed for neutral texts (p = .571).
Conclusions
Brief periods of sleep immediately following learning cause preservation of emotional
memories over several years. Sleep deprivation in the immediate aftermath of traumatic
events could be a promising therapeutic measure to prevent PTSD.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 28, 2006
Accepted:
March 16,
2006
Received in revised form:
March 13,
2006
Received:
September 21,
2005
Identification
Copyright
© 2006 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
