The link between sleep and emotional/mood-related symptoms can be attributed to the amygdala-prefrontal cortex mechanism that governs regulation of emotions in times of sleep deprivation. More specifically, owing a sleep debt hinders the ability of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) to inhibit amygdala activity, resulting in unstable and unfiltered emotional responses (impulsiveness). A second area within the forebrain, the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (vACC), which plays a role in emotional processing, is also negatively affected by a lack of sleep that manifests itself in the form of amygdala sensitivity to stimuli (irritability).