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Interactions of time of day and sleep with between-session habituation and extinction memory in young adult males

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Abstract

Within-session habituation and extinction learning co-occur as do subsequent consolidation of habituation (i.e., between-session habituation) and extinction memory. We sought to determine whether, as we predicted: (1) between-session habituation is greater across a night of sleep versus a day awake; (2) time-of-day accounts for differences; (3) between-session habituation predicts consolidation of extinction memory; (4) sleep predicts between-session habituation and/or extinction memory. Participants (N = 28) completed 4–5 sessions alternating between mornings and evenings over 3 successive days (2 nights) with session 1 in either the morning (N = 13) or evening (N = 15). Twelve participants underwent laboratory polysomnography. During 4 sessions, participants completed a loud-tone habituation protocol, while skin conductance response (SCR), blink startle electromyography (EMG), heart-rate acceleration and heart-rate deceleration (HRD) were recorded. For sessions 1 and 2, between-session habituation of EMG, SCR and HRD was greater across sleep. SCR and HRD were generally lower in the morning. Between-session habituation of SCR for sessions 1 and 2 was positively related to intervening (first night) slow wave sleep. In the evening before night 2, participants also underwent fear conditioning and extinction learning phases of a second protocol. Extinction recall was tested the following morning. Extinction recall was predicted only by between-session habituation of SCR across the same night (second night) and by intervening REM. We conclude that: (1) sleep augments between-session habituation, as does morning testing; (2) extinction recall is predicted by concurrent between-session habituation; and (3) both phenomena may be influenced by sleep.

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Notes

  1. Sample size of this analysis is provided in the figure legend.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Edward F. Pace-Schott, Lauren E. Tracy, Zoe Rubin, Adrian G. Mollica, Mohammed R. Milad, Roger K. Pitman & Scott P. Orr

  2. Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Jeffrey M. Ellenbogen

  3. Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Matt T. Bianchi

  4. Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, East, CNY 149 13th Street Room 2510, Charlestown, MA, 02129, USA

    Edward F. Pace-Schott

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  1. Edward F. Pace-Schott
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Correspondence to Edward F. Pace-Schott.

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Pace-Schott, E.F., Tracy, L.E., Rubin, Z. et al. Interactions of time of day and sleep with between-session habituation and extinction memory in young adult males. Exp Brain Res 232, 1443–1458 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3829-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3829-9

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