Publications

Sleep to remember, sleep to protect: Increased sleep spindle and theta activity predict fewer intrusive memories after analogue trauma

2026, Publications, sleep and psychopathology / Sören Krach

Recent evidence shows a strong correlative link between sleep disturbances and intrusive memories after traumatic events, presumably due to insufficient (nocturnal) memory integration. However, the underlying mechanisms of this link and the role of specific neural activities during sleep are poorly understood so far. Here, we investigated how the intra-individual affective response to an experimental […]

Sleep to remember, sleep to protect: Increased sleep spindle and theta activity predict fewer intrusive memories after analogue trauma Read More »

Time-of-day related fluctuations of self-belief formation

circadian, Preprint, Publications / Sören Krach

Time of day influences a variety of human cognitive processes, including attention, executive functions and memory formation, as well as affective experiences and mood. However, circadian modulations of self-related learning and belief formation, which are highly affected by emotional states, remain poorly understood. Here, we present results from exploratory post-hoc analyses on data aggregated from

Reactivating a relaxation exercise during sleep to influence cortical hyperarousal in people with frequent nightmares: A randomized crossover trial

Preprint, Publications, sleep and psychopathology / Sören Krach

Study Objectives High-frequency EEG activity during sleep (cortical hyperarousal), is a transdiagnostic feature across psychiatric disorders, including nightmare disorder. It is discussed as a target of intervention; however, specific treatment options are yet unavailable. We tested whether exposure to relaxation-associated odor cues during sleep would reduce cortical hyperarousal, i.e. beta (16.25 – 31 Hz), gamma

Reactivating a relaxation exercise during sleep to influence cortical hyperarousal in people with frequent nightmares: A randomized crossover trial Read More »

Imagery rehearsal therapy for the treatment of nightmares in individuals with borderline personality disorder – A pilot study

2025, improving sleep, Publications, Uncategorized / Sören Krach

Insomnia and nightmares are present in up to 45 % of individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and can contribute to challenges with emotion regulation, low sleep quality, dream anxiety, increased arousal and self-control. Despite their prevalence, nightmares are usually not addressed in classical BPD treatment. Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is considered first in line

Imagery rehearsal therapy for the treatment of nightmares in individuals with borderline personality disorder – A pilot study Read More »

Targeting sleep quality in acutely traumatized individuals to reduce the risk for PTSD: study protocol for a multicentre randomized clinical trial.

2024, improving sleep, Publications, Uncategorized / Sören Krach

Background: There is a great need for feasible interventions in the initial period after a trauma that minimize the risk of developing a clinically relevant PTSD. The majority of people suffer from severe sleep disorders after a traumatic event. Because sleep is essential for processing emotional memories, we aim to improve sleep quality in acutely

Targeting sleep quality in acutely traumatized individuals to reduce the risk for PTSD: study protocol for a multicentre randomized clinical trial. Read More »

Cortical hyperarousal in individuals with frequent nightmares

2024, Publications, sleep and psychopathology / Sören Krach

Nightmares are common among the general population and psychiatric patients and have been associated with signs of nocturnal arousal such as increased heart rate or increased high-frequency electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. However, it is still unclear, whether these characteristics are more of a trait occurring in people with frequent nightmares or rather indicators of the nightmare

Cortical hyperarousal in individuals with frequent nightmares Read More »

Sleep’s role in updating aversive autobiographical memories

2022, Publications, sleep-based psychotherapy augmentation / Sören Krach

Aversive autobiographical memories play a key role in the development and maintenance of many mental disorders. Imagery rescripting is a well-established psychotherapeutic intervention aiming to create a more adaptive version of an aversive memory by modifying its interpretation. Sleep has been shown to support reconsolidation of updated neutral memories. Here, we investigated in healthy participants

Sleep’s role in updating aversive autobiographical memories Read More »

Investigating the effect of a nap following experimental trauma on analogue PTSD symptoms

2021, Publications / Sören Krach

Cognitive models assume that the incomplete integration of a traumatic experience into the autobiographical memory results in typical symptoms associated with post‑traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) such as intrusive re‑experiencing. Sleep supports the integration of new experiences into existing memory networks through memory consolidation. In fifty‑six females, we investigated whether a 90‑min daytime nap (n =

Investigating the effect of a nap following experimental trauma on analogue PTSD symptoms Read More »

Sleep Early After Trauma A Target for Prevention and Early Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

2020, Publications, sleep and psychopathology / Sören Krach

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by intrusive re-experiencing of emotional memories of a traumatic event. Such memories are formed after exposure to trauma in the context of a cascading stress response including high levels of emotional arousal and stress hormone release. Sleep could be a key modulator of early memory formation and re-consolidation processes.

Sleep Early After Trauma A Target for Prevention and Early Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? Read More »

Targeted Reactivation during Sleep Differentially Affects Negative Memories in Socially Anxious and Healthy Children and Adolescents

2017, Publications, sleep and psychopathology / Sören Krach

Cognitive models propose a negative memory bias as one key factor contributing to the emergence and maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). The long-term consolidation of memories relies on memory reactivations during sleep. We investigated in SAD patients and healthy controls the role of memory reactivations during sleep in the long-term consolidation of positive and

Targeted Reactivation during Sleep Differentially Affects Negative Memories in Socially Anxious and Healthy Children and Adolescents Read More »

Join us!