Sleep and emotions in teens with PTSD
Official title: Sleep and emotion processing in adolescent Post-traumatic stress Disorder
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11248053 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether brain sleep patterns relate to how teens with PTSD process emotions and feel day-to-day.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | March 15, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $641,800 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH132221-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248053 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adolescents aged 15–18 with a diagnosis of PTSD, though the study also enrolls trauma-exposed and typically developing teens for comparison.
✕Less likely to help
You may not benefit if you are outside the 15–18 age range, do not meet PTSD or comparison-group criteria, or have medical or sleep conditions that exclude participation.
What this research studies
You would join a study of 165 teens ages 15–18 divided into three groups: teens with PTSD, trauma-exposed peers, and typically developing peers. Researchers will record brain activity during sleep in the lab using a high-density 256-channel EEG before and after an emotional learning task, and you will also wear a portable EEG headband at home. The team will collect daily mood reports and measures of emotional responses to link daytime affect with nighttime brain signals. The approach is meant to reveal how sleep brain patterns support or interfere with emotional memory and daily mood after trauma.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to sleep-based targets or timing for treatments to help emotional symptoms in teens with PTSD.
How similar studies have gone: Prior adult and some pediatric work links sleep and emotional memory, but this high-density EEG approach in adolescents with PTSD is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jones, Stephanie — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Jones, Stephanie
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.