ReviewNature and science of sleep2018
Management of nightmares in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: current perspectives.
Review in Nature and science of sleep, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Analyzing metaverse-based digital therapies, their effectiveness, and potential risks in mental healthcare.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Bad dream, nightmares and psychopathology: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Use of Medicinal Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabinoids in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Systematic Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Pooled it
- Memory reconsolidation impairment using the β-adrenergic receptor blocker propranolol reduces nightmare severity in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: a preliminary study.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2022Trial
- Temporal associations between nightmares and PTSD symptoms in the acute post-sexual assault period: An ecological momentary assessment study.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2026Article
- Suicide and Sleep Disorders: The Role of Insomnia, Nightmares, and Circadian Disruption.Cureus · 2026Review
- Real-world reduction in nightmare frequency and distress among San Francisco first responders treated with a prescription wearable device: a 60-day open-label pilot.Frontiers in sleep · 2026Article
- Prediction and Feature Selection of Mastectomy-Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Using Machine Learning Among Breast Cancer Patients in Bangladesh.Cancer informatics · 2025Article
- Treating war- and conflict-related nightmares in children and youth: outcomes of a school-based intervention.Frontiers in sleep · 2025Article
- Novel Pharmacological Targets of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Antipsychotic-induced bone loss: the role of dopamine, serotonin and adrenergic receptor signalling.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2023Review
- Cannabis-assisted psychotherapy for complex dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder: A case report.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- Call to action: Addressing sleep disturbances, a hallmark symptom of PTSD, for refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons.Sleep health · 2022Review
- Pharmacological Management of Nightmares Associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.CNS drugs · 2022Review
- Off-label Uses of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).Current neuropharmacology · 2022Review
- Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in patients treated for opioid use disorder: findings from a 12-month cohort study.BJPsych open · 2021Article
- Dream Recall/Affect and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis.Clocks & sleep · 2021Review
- Using Prazosin to Treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Associations: A Systematic Review.Psychiatry investigation · 2021Article
- Trauma Immediately Preceding REM-Behavior Disorder: A Valuable Prognostic Marker?Frontiers in neurology · 2021Article
- Bidirectional associations of insomnia symptoms with somatic complaints and posttraumatic stress disorder in child and adolescent earthquake survivors: a longitudinal study.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Nightmares are considered the hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the characteristics of these distressing dreams may vary with the type of traumatic event, the pathophysiology exposes central dysfunction of brain structures at the level of the hippocampus, amygdala, and locus coeruleus, modulated by neurochemical imbalance in nor-adrenergic, dopaminergic, and serotonin pathways. Underlying comorbid conditions, including other sleep disorders, may contribute to worsening symptoms. Addressing sleep disruption can alleviate the severity of these nocturnal events and augment the effectiveness of other PTSD treatments. The expansion of behavioral treatment modalities for PTSD-related nightmares has been encouraging, but the core of these interventions is heavily structured around memory manipulation and imagery rescripting. A lack of a standardized delivery and a high dropout rate continue to pose significant challenges in achieving successful outcomes. The efficacy of existing pharmacological studies, such as α-adrenergic blocking agents, antidepressants, and atypical antipsychotics, has been undermined by methodological limitations and absence of large randomized controlled trials. This review is aimed at reviewing the available treatment strategies for alleviating nightmares in subjects with PTSD. Given the intricate relationship between PTSD and nightmares, future clinical trials have to adopt a more pragmatic approach focused not only on efficacy of novel interventions but also on adjunctive iteration of existing therapies tailored to individual socio-cultural background.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.