New Theory for Fighting PTSD

Sleep has an important role in the development of memories. PTSD associates memory with fear. Because of these two facts, researchers at Yale University set out to determine if sleep deprivation after exposure to a fear might eliminate the association of the two because of the lack of memory restoration associated with lack of sleep. Volunteers were shown animated clips of unexpected "fearful" motorcycle and car accidents and half were allowed to follow regular sleeping patterns and the other half were sleep deprived. Volunteers who were sleep deprived eliminated the fear-associated memories through both fear recognition and physiological fear reactions, suggesting a possible therapy for individuals with PTSD. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101207112446.html