Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A good night’s sleep has long been recommended to those who have experienced a traumatic event. But a study led by our Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute provides preliminary experimental work suggesting it could actually be the wrong thing to do.

We wanted to see what effect sleep deprivation would have on the development of intrusive memories. After showing participants a film of scenes with traumatic content, they were either kept in a sleep laboratory and deprived of sleep or sent home to have a normal night’s sleep in their own bed.
- Dr Kate Porcheret, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

The research, conducted in the Wellcome Trust-funded Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi) and published in the journal Sleep, involved showing volunteers emotional film clips and seeing how they responded after different amounts of sleep.

Each person then kept a diary in which they recorded any intrusive memories, however fleeting, recording as much information as possible so that the research team could check that the intrusive images were linked to the film.

Read more on the University of Oxford website...

Similar stories

European Platform for Neurodegenerative Diseases launches repository of cohorts for researchers

The new Cohort Catalogue will facilitate discovery of over 60 neurodegeneration research cohorts from 17 countries across Europe

Two NDCN students join BNA Scholars Programme

The British Neuroscience Association Scholars Programme was launched in 2021 with a view to improving equality, diversity and inclusion in neuroscience.

Researchers win UK Dementia Research Institute Grand Challenge Award to identify early signs of Alzheimer's

The MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit has received funding for a multi-year research partnership designed to advance the understanding of early changes to the operations of brain circuits in Alzheimer's disease.

Ophthalmology Conference in Kyiv

On 21 February, Robert MacLaren organised a one-day ophthalmology conference in Kyiv together with Dr Andrii Ruban, President of the Ukrainian Vitreoretinal Society.

Bioelectronic implant offers an intelligent therapy to treat incontinence

The first participants in a clinical trial of a bioelectrical therapy to treat incontinence have received their 'smart' bioelectronic implants.

Direct evidence of reduced NMDA receptors in people with form of encephalitis

NMDAR-antibody encephalitis is an autoimmune brain condition caused by patient’s own antibodies that bind to NMDA (N-Methyl-D-Aspartate) receptors in the synapses between nerve cells.