A recent study conducted by researchers at LMU’s Department of Psychology found a link between sleep-related brain activity and the reactivation of memory contents during sleep. The research aimed to determine whether specific patterns of brain activity were associated with memory consolidation during sleep. Dr Thomas Schreiner, the head of the research group, joined forces with scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University of Oxford to reanalyze the data.
The study initially showed 20 participants a series of images associated with certain words. The participants then slept for two hours in a sleep laboratory and were later quizzed about the word associations. EEG recordings were taken throughout the learning and sleep period to monitor brain activity and breathing.
The researchers discovered that the sleeping brain spontaneously reactivated the previously learned content during slow oscillations and sleep spindles, which are short phases of increased brain activity. They also noted that the precision of these sleep-related brain rhythms increased during adolescence and decreased during aging.
The researchers further analyzed the data and found a connection between respiration and the emergence of characteristic slow oscillation and spindle patterns. This led to the conclusion that breathing influences memory consolidation during sleep. Previous studies had established a connection between breathing and cognition during wakefulness, but this study highlights the importance of respiration for memory processing during sleep.
The findings hold potential implications for older individuals who often experience sleep disorders, respiratory disorders, and declining memory function. Dr Schreiner plans to investigate potential connections between these phenomena and explore the effectiveness of interventions such as the use of CPAP masks, which are already used to treat sleep apnea. This research opens up new possibilities for understanding and improving memory processes during sleep.
To read more about this study, click here.
