The Relationships Among Sleep, Memory, and Emotion
- Credit Type
- CME
- Credit Amount
- 0.25
- Release Date
- 12/21/2009
- Expiration Date
- 12/20/2010
- Activity Type
- Videocast
The Relationships Among Sleep, Memory, and Emotion
Sleep is critical for optimal brain function, particularly for the processes involved in memory and emotion.1 How the timing of sleep contributes to these functions is largely unknown, however. Available evidence demonstrates that sleep following a learning task promotes memory consolidation and subsequent recall, whereas the role of sleep prior to memory formation is less clear.2 Recent studies have shown that sleep-deprived individuals performing memory tasks display impaired memory encoding, the process by which sensory inputs are initially transformed into memories. Thus, sleep appears to facilitate not only information storage and retrieval, but also the initial processing of stimuli into nascent memories. These operations also depend on the emotional content of the potential memory. When challenged with a mix of positive, negative, and neutral stimuli, nonsleep-deprived individuals retain an approximately equal distribution of positive and negative memories. Alternatively, a bias toward negative memories is observed in sleep-deprived subjects. These data are supported by brain imaging studies in sleep-deprived individuals showing structural and functional alterations, including impaired activation of the hippocampus and reduced functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and amygdala, all of which regulate memory and emotion.3, 4 These changes might explain the increased emotional lability of sleep-deprived individuals. Interestingly, disturbed sleep is often clinically associated with negative emotions and mood disorders, highlighting the importance of assessing and treating aberrant sleep patterns, particularly in patients demonstrating depressive symptomatology. Elucidating the reciprocal relationships among and between sleep, memory, and emotion may lead to strategies that promote learning or improve the management of mood and sleep/wake disorders.
Relevant References:
- Walker MP. The role of sleep in cognition and emotion. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009;1156:168-197.
- Walker MP. Sleep-dependent memory processing. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2008;16(5):287-298.
- Yoo SS, Gujar N, Hu P, Jolesz FA, Walker MP. The human emotional brain without sleep--a prefrontal amygdala disconnect. Curr Biol. 2007;17(20):R877-878.
- Yoo SS, Hu PT, Gujar N, Jolesz FA, Walker MP. A deficit in the ability to form new human memories without sleep. Nat Neurosci. 2007;10(3):385-392.
Jointly sponsored by Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, and Asante Communications
This activity is supported by an educational grant from Cephalon, Inc.
Date of Release: 12/21/2009
Date of Expiration: 12/20/2010
Activity Goal
Employing a combination of didactic and practical case-based presentations, the goal of this activity is to highlight scientific and clinical data emphasizing the relationship between sleep, memory, and emotion.
Intended Audience
This activity is intended for sleep specialists, primary case physicians, and other health care providers interested in sleep/wake medicine.
There are no prerequisites for this educational activity.
Statement of Need
Developed for community-based sleep clinicians and primary care physicians, and designed to provide a scientific rationale for individualized assessment and treatment of patients with sleep/wake disorders, this program presents the neurobiologic relationship between sleep, memory, and emotion.
Learner’s Gap
Sleep/wake disorders significantly reduce the restorative value of sleep. Characterized by their heterogeneity and profound effects on patient function, the disorders are often prevalent, underrecognized, and undertreated. Inadequate treatment is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, an association gaining increased attention among clinical researchers. Healthcare-associated costs are prohibitively burdensome, estimated at nearly USD 100 billion per annum. Data from numerous epidemiologic and randomized controlled studies clearly demonstrate that patients with disrupted sleep/wake patterns have significantly impaired daytime function and experience excessive sleepiness, a debilitating symptom with far-reaching consequences. Sleep clinicians need to improve their understanding of the morbidity associated with sleep/wake disorders, to communicate the issues to their colleagues and to their patients, and to tailor therapies accordingly.
Learning Objectives
At the completion of this initiative, the participants should be better prepared to:
- Discuss the morbidity associated with sleep/wake disorders across neurocognitive, neurophysiologic, and executive domains
- Evaluate potential neuropsychologic and executive deficits in patients with sleep/wake disorders
- Monitor progress during treatment of patients with sleep/wake disorders, emphasizing neurocognitive and neurobehavioral function
- Utilize nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment modalities to improve sleep/wake consolidation and patient function
Accreditation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, and Asante Communications. Albert Einstein College of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Credit Designation
Albert Einstein College of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Credit Designation Conflict of Interest Statement
The Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy of Albert Einstein College of Medicine requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience any relationship(s) with a pharmaceutical, product, or device company. Any presenter whose disclosed relationships prove to create a conflict of interest with regard to their contribution to the activity will not be permitted to present. Albert Einstein College of Medicine also requires that faculty participating in any CME activity disclose to the audience when discussing any unlabeled or investigational use of any commercial product or device not yet approved for use in the United States. Faculty participating in this activity have indicated the following disclosure information:
Matthew P. Walker, PhD
Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd., sanofi-aventis (consultant)
The staff at Albert Einstein College of Medicine has no disclosures to report other than the following:
Steven Jay Feld, or a member of his household, owns securities in Bioheart, Inc.; Chelsea Therapeutics, Inc.; and Pharmacopeia, Inc.
Chris Ontiveros, PhD, (senior scientific associate, Asante Communications) has no conflicts of interest with commercial interests related directly or indirectly to this educational activity.
Method of Participation
There are no fees for participating in and receiving credit for this activity. The participant must read the objectives and enduring material, and answer the multiple-choice post-test. Please complete the evaluation form which provides each participant with the opportunity to comment on the quality of the instructional process, the perception of enhanced professional effectiveness, the perception of commercial bias, and his/her views on future educational needs. A score of at least 70% is required to obtain CME credit for this activity. Credit is available through December 20, 2010.
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Copyright Information
Copyright © 2009 Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, and Asante Communications. All rights reserved. No part of this syllabus may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.
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