Dr Natalie Bryant tells PC Mag how her sleep research might one day treat disorders in which patients suffer from pervasive negative memories, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

So people who have experienced trauma might be unable to let go of the nightmares, because the brain cannot process the memories effectively?

Right. If we could improve sleep-dependent memory consolidation via brain stimulation after trauma, we could theoretically lessen the likelihood that someone develops PTSD later.