Memory control deficits in the sleep-deprived human brain

Marcus O. Harrington (Lead Author), Theodoros Karapanagiotidis, Lauryn Phillips, Jonathan Smallwood, Michael C. Anderson, Scott A. Cairney

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Abstract

Sleep disturbances are associated with intrusive memories, but the neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning this relationship are poorly understood. Here, we show that sleep deprivation disrupts prefrontal inhibition of memory retrieval, and that the overnight restoration of this inhibitory mechanism is associated with time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The functional impairments arising from sleep deprivation are linked to a behavioral deficit in the ability to downregulate unwanted memories, and coincide with a deterioration of deliberate patterns of self-generated thought. We conclude that sleep deprivation gives rise to intrusive memories via the disruption of neural circuits governing mnemonic inhibitory control, which may rely on REM sleep.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2400743122
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
Volume122
Issue number1
Early online date31 Dec 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Jan 2025

Keywords

  • Memory Suppression
  • Sleep Deprivation
  • Default Mode Network
  • Heart Rate Variability
  • Inhibitory Control
  • Functional Neuroimaging
  • sleep deprivation
  • heart rate variability
  • inhibitory control
  • memory suppression |
  • default mode network

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