Reset: regulation of emotion, sleep extension, and mtbi

This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), under the Mental Health Research Grants program (CFDA 93.242), provides $403,937 to Merrimack College to study the impact of mid-day napping on emotion regulation in individuals who have recently sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The 3-year project aims to examine the preliminary efficacy of a mid-day nap in improving emotion regulation and altering top-down neural control of emotion regulation in this population. The study will use behavioral measures, eye tracking, and electrophysiology to assess the potential therapeutic benefits of napping for mitigating the emotion dysregulation symptoms associated with mTBIs, which are highly prevalent. This research seeks to address a critical gap in the literature and could inform clinical practices for mTBI rehabilitation.

Abstract

Given that both sleep disruption and mild traumatic brain injury (MTB) can impact executive control of emotion regulation, IT is possible that improving sleep quality may reduce the emotion dysregulation associated with mtbi; therefore, sleep extension may be an accessible and effective way to improve some of the common symptoms associated with mtbis. As the prevalence of mtbi is extremely high, IT is critical to determine ways to mitigate impairments. Reducing emotion dysregulation could alleviate symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns in individuals with mtbi. Napping has been shown to impact emotional memory consolidation and emotional reactivity, and to increase frustration tolerance in adults. However, no research has examined the role of napping in emotion regulation of mtbi individuals. To address this critical GAP, we aim to examine the preliminary efficacy of a mid-day NAP to improve emotion regulation in individuals who have recently sustained a mtbi, and to examine whether a mid-day NAP alters top-down neural control of emotion regulation in this population. To do this, individuals who have had a mtbi within the last month will participate in an emotion regulation task after both a NAP and a no-NAP condition, counterbalanced. We will measure both behavioral (eye tracking) and self-report responses to emotional stimuli (e.g., their ability to reappraise and reduce their negative emotional response when asked to do so), as well as top-down control, as measured by pupil dilation through pupillometry and the late positive potential (LPP) through ERP. The significance of this work is examining the relationship between emotion regulation, sleep in the form of a NAP, and mtbis, as well as the ability to assess the possible therapeutic function of a daytime NAP to reduce emotion dysregulation symptoms. The innovation lies in the above significance and aims to address the critical GAP in the literature and its ability to shift the current clinical practice for mtbi, as well as the combined experimental design (eye tracking, polysomnography) of the proposal. The long-term goal of this research is to determine how sleep-based interventions may improve cognitive and emotional outcomes following mtbi, which could be a cost-effective and accessible addition to a mtbi rehabilitation program.