RESET: Regulation of Emotion, Sleep Extension, and mTBI

Project Summary 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.