About sleep's role in memory. (2013, background): “Some studies indeed demonstrated that sleep preferentially consolidates emotional over neutral memories (574, 602, 861, 896, 898, 1276); however, others failed to reveal such effects (60, 168, 732, 1147, 1148).”
Evidence for the preferential incorporation of emotional waking-life experiences into dreams. (2014, background): “Consolidation may refer more specifically to the strengthening of the emotional memory, rather than processing or ameliorating it, during sleep (Franzen et al., 2009; Hu et al., 2006; Wagner et al., 2001), and dreams may be a reflection of this sleep-dependent memory consolidation process (Wamsley &”
Overnight Therapy? The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Processing (2009, background): “Corroborating these correlations, researchers have hypothesized and observed that REM sleep represents a brain state that is particularly amenable to emotional memory consolidation, on account of its unique biology (Hu et al., 2006; Pare, Collins, & Pelletier, 2002; M. P. Walker, 2009).”
The Role of Sleep in Emotional Brain Function (2014, background): “…have led to the proposal that REM sleep represents a neurobiological brain-state particularly amenable to selective emotional memory processing (Hu et al 2006, Pare et al 2002, Walker 2009, Walker & van der Helm 2009), with theta oscillations proposed as a carrier frequency that allows…”
The Role of Sleep in Cognition and Emotion (2009, background): “Corroborating these correlations, it has previously been hypothesized that REM sleep represents a brain state particularly amenable to emotional memory consolidation, based on its unique biology (Pare et al. 2002; Hu et al. 2006).”
Sleep Preferentially Enhances Memory for Emotional Components of Scenes (2008, methodology): “This was key, because previous studies suggest that sleep preferentially promotes memory for general over detailed information (Gómez, Bootzin, & Nadel, 2006; Hu et al., 2006; Payne et al., 2007).”