Sleep and Inhibitory Control Over Mood-Congruent Information in Emerging Adults With Depressive Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Bidirectionality between sleep problems and depression is established, yet underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
• Inhibitory control with emotional stimuli is often impaired in depression, potentially perpetuating symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of sleep in modulating inhibitory control abilities, particularly in response to emotional stimuli.
• To explore the impact of daytime sleep opportunities on inhibitory control in emerging adults with and without depressive disorders.

Main Methods:

• Emerging adults were screened for mental disorders. Participants with depression received a daytime sleep opportunity (Sleep-Dep), while controls either slept (Sleep-Ctrl) or stayed awake (Wake-Ctrl).
• Inhibitory control was assessed using the Affective Go/No-Go Task before and after the experimental conditions (sleep or wakefulness).
• Statistical analyses, including mixed factorial models, were used to compare changes in false alarm rates (FA) and d-prime across groups and time points.

Main Results:

• A significant interaction between time and group affected false alarm rates (FA) when processing neutral and happy faces.
• The Sleep-Dep group showed a significant decrease in FA after sleep, indicating improved inhibitory control.
• Post-sleep FA improvement in the Sleep-Dep group correlated with increased stage 2 sleep duration and stage 2 fast spindle density.

Conclusions:

• Daytime sleep, particularly stage 2 sleep, may enhance inhibitory control in individuals with depressive disorders.
• Specific sleep physiology, including stage 2 sleep and fast spindles, appears crucial for this improvement in emotional inhibitory control.
• Findings suggest a potential mechanism through which sleep influences the perpetuation or alleviation of depressive symptoms.