Impact of Operational Sleep Disruption on PTSD-Relevant Fear Learning Processes
Abstract
This project will examine the impact of disturbances in normal sleep and circadian regulation on mechanisms underlying vulnerability to, and maintenance of, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, we will examine the effects of disturbances in REM sleep on fear extinction and safety signal learning. These emotional learning processes are critical for trauma recovery and contribute to the efficacy of PTSD treatments such as exposure therapy. Disturbances in REM sleep and circadian dysregulation are common in serving military populations as well as veterans and civilian populations such as shift workers and rescue service personnel. These are also common disturbances reported in as many as 70-90% of Veterans with PTSD. However, to date research using both animal and human studies have all either been correlational in nature or have deprived subjects of REM sleep entirely. Neither of those methodologies are accurate models of the REM sleep disruption seen in military personnel at risk for PTSD. The proposed study will be the first to use ecologically valid models of sleep disruption (that mirror the types of disruption common in military missions and among Veterans with PTSD) to understand the mechanistic role sleep plays in the types impaired extinction and safety processes seen in PTSD.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1211440
Entities
People
- Sean P. A. Drummond
Organizations
- Monash University