Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Repressed Memory01:16

Repressed Memory

65
Repressed memories are a psychological phenomenon where memories of traumatic events are unconsciously blocked from a person's awareness. This process occurs as a defense mechanism, protecting the mind from the emotional impact of distressing or painful experiences. For example, a person who has experienced childhood trauma may grow up with no conscious recollection of the event. In such cases, the memories are thought to be buried deep within the subconscious, inaccessible to the conscious...
65
Stages of Sleep01:22

Stages of Sleep

176
Sleep progresses through distinct stages, each characterized by specific brain wave patterns and physiological responses ranging from wakefulness to stages of non-rapid eye movement, known as non-REM, to rapid eye movement, referred to as REM. Understanding these stages helps in recognizing how sleep supports various bodily and cognitive functions.
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
176
Nightmares and Night Terrors01:18

Nightmares and Night Terrors

79
Nightmares and night terrors represent two distinct types of sleep disturbances that differ in timing, characteristics, and the sleeper's recall of the event. Nightmares are vivid, disturbing dreams that usually awaken the sleeper from REM sleep, a stage of sleep where brain activity is high, and dreams are most frequent. Upon awakening, individuals often have detailed recollections of their nightmares, which can include themes of threats to survival, security, or self-esteem.
Nightmares...
79
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

74
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
74
Long-term Depression01:03

Long-term Depression

2.5K
Long-term depression, or LTD, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTD is the process of synaptic weakening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic weakening of LTD works in opposition to synaptic strengthening by long-term potentiation (LTP) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over...
2.5K
Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

Sleep-Wake Cycles

1.2K
Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
1.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The choroid plexus, cognitive decline, and incident dementia: insights from the UK Biobank.

Molecular psychiatry·2026
Same author

Establishing clinically important differences in adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

General psychiatry·2026
Same author

Transcriptomic analysis in autism spectrum disorder suggests three molecular subtypes with distinct phenotypic profiles and functional pathways.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Autonomic modulation following fecal microbiota transplantation in chronic insomnia.

Postgraduate medicine·2026
Same author

Mll5 haploinsufficiency attenuates microglial phagocytosis through dysregulated TREM2-SGK3-GSK3β signaling and recapitulates ASD-like behaviors in mice.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

What are the correlates of non-suicidal self-injury in children and adolescents? An umbrella systematic review of global evidence.

Molecular psychiatry·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
08:08

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory

Published on: June 18, 2014

27.1K

Temporal dynamics of negative emotional memory reprocessing during sleep.

Serik Tabarak1,2, Ximei Zhu3, Peng Li3

  • 1Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences and PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, 100871, Beijing, China.

Translational Psychiatry
|October 13, 2024
PubMed
Summary

The second sleep cycle is crucial for reprocessing negative memories, with slow oscillation (SO)-spindle coupling stabilizing these memories. Disrupting this coupling reduces negative memory recognition.

More Related Videos

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
08:20

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood

Published on: October 2, 2019

11.9K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

9.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory
08:08

Eye Tracking, Cortisol, and a Sleep vs. Wake Consolidation Delay: Combining Methods to Uncover an Interactive Effect of Sleep and Cortisol on Memory

Published on: June 18, 2014

27.1K
Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
08:20

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood

Published on: October 2, 2019

11.9K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

9.8K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Science
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Memory reprocessing during sleep is known, but its temporal dynamics and specific mechanisms remain unclear.
  • Emotional memory consolidation during sleep is vital for psychological well-being.
  • Slow oscillation (SO)-spindle coupling is a key sleep-related neural mechanism.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the temporal dynamics of negative emotional memory reprocessing throughout the night.
  • To examine the role of SO-spindle coupling in the second sleep cycle for memory reprocessing.
  • To determine if disrupting SO-spindle coupling affects negative emotional memory recognition.

Main Methods:

  • EEG monitoring to detect memory reprocessing strength across sleep cycles in 40 participants.
  • Analysis of SO-spindle coupling during the second sleep cycle post-learning.
  • Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to disrupt SO-spindle coupling in 21 participants.

Main Results:

  • Negative emotional memory reprocessing strength peaked during the second sleep cycle.
  • SO-spindle coupling in the second sleep cycle was associated with stabilizing negative memories.
  • tACS-induced disruption of SO-spindle coupling significantly reduced negative memory recognition.

Conclusions:

  • The second sleep cycle represents a critical window for negative emotional memory reprocessing.
  • SO-spindle coupling plays a significant role in consolidating negative emotional memories during sleep.
  • Targeting SO-spindle coupling during sleep may offer therapeutic potential for emotional memory disorders.