Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Insomnia disorder is a common sleep disturbance characterized by adverse daytime cognitive and emotional impairments, such as repetitive negative thinking and increased psychological distress. Memory control, a key self-regulatory ability to control or inhibit unwanted thoughts and memories, plays an essential role in supporting cognitive functions and emotional well-being. Here, we delineate the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying memory control among individuals with insomnia. Methods 41 participants meeting DSM-5 criteria for insomnia disorder and 40 healthy sleepers completed an emotional Think/No-Think task, during which participants either retrieved (Think) or suppressed the retrieval (No-Think) of aversive memories in response to memory cues while electroencephalograms were recorded. Results Linear mixed model analyses with age and depression scores as covariates showed that participants with insomnia exhibited impaired memory control abilities, as evidenced by reduced suppression-induced forgetting in memory recall when compared to healthy sleepers. Electrophysiologically, healthy sleepers showed enhanced right prefrontal theta power in retrieval suppression than in retrieval, indicating elevated needs of inhibitory control during memory control. In sharp contrast, this difference was absent among those with insomnia. Notably, the greater the severity of insomnia symptoms, the smaller the retrieval vs. retrieval suppression theta power differences across participants, linking inefficient top-down control of unwanted memories with low sleep qualities. Conclusion Individuals with insomnia showed impaired memory control of aversive memories and aberrant electrophysiological activities during retrieval suppression. Future research shall investigate the causal relationship between memory control abilities and insomnia symptoms.
Institutions: University of Hong Kong, Northwestern University, South China Normal University, First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Key Laboratory of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou Medical University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge
Language: English
Topic: Sleep and related disorders
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G3852078645, G4330725083, G8433329893
OpenAlex ID: W7134196589