Targeted memory reactivation of face-name learning depends on ample and undisturbed slow-wave sleep

Abstract

Face memory, including the ability to recall a person’s name, is of major importance in social contexts. Like many other memory functions, it may rely on sleep. We investigated whether targeted memory reactivation during sleep could improve associative and perceptual aspects of face memory. Participants studied 80 face-name pairs, and then a subset of spoken names with associated background music was presented unobtrusively during a daytime nap. This manipulation preferentially improved name recall and face recognition for those reactivated face-name pairs, as modulated by two factors related to sleep quality; memory benefits were positively correlated with the duration of stage N3 sleep (slow-wave sleep) and negatively correlated with measures of sleep disruption. We conclude that (a) reactivation of specific face-name memories during sleep can strengthen these associations and the constituent memories, and that (b) the effectiveness of this reactivation depends on uninterrupted N3 sleep.

Improving memory via automated targeted memory reactivation during sleep

“…We demonstrated that the TMR procedure at home can yield the typical effect observed in the laboratory, where TMR with quiet sounds improves performance in a spatial memory task (Antony et al, 2018;Creery et al, 2015;Rudoy et al, 2009;Schechtman et al, 2021;Vargas et al, 2019). We also found that loud cues reversed the TMR effect, consistent with our prior findings in a study of face-name learning (Whitmore & Paller, 2022). Accordingly, our findings suggest that home TMR can be useful for investigating memory and perhaps in clinical applications as well.…”

“…Furthermore, deliberately disrupting sleep with loud sound cues reverses the TMR effect on spatial recall, selectively weakening reactivated memories (Whitmore & Paller, 2022). Therefore, we suggest that brain-state independent TMR may tend to be ineffective because the intensity and timing of cues cannot be flexibly adjusted to avoid disrupting sleep.…”

“…One study showed that a TMR benefit for learning face-name associations was reduced when TMR sounds disrupted sleep (Whitmore et al, 2022).…”

“…We hypothesised that sleep disruption caused by excessively loud cues might have reduced the benefits of TMR. Given previous findings that loud cues can disrupt memory processing in sleep (Whitmore & Paller, 2022), we quantified the maximum intensity used overnight. The memory benefit from TMR was significantly correlated with maximum auditory cue intensity and marginally correlated with the percentage of cues delivered in stage N3 (Figure 8, Table 1).…”

“Deep Sleep”: A Comparative Approach to Defining Meaningful Rest

“…For example, sleep "inertia" typical of early mornings and marked by impaired performance, reduced vigilance, and a desire to return to sleep, is worse when awakened from NREM versus REM sleep (Burke et al, 2015;Scheer et al, 2008;Trotti, 2017). NREM-SWA enhancement has led to improvements in memory consolidation (Bellesi et al, 2014;Diep et al, 2019;Leminen et al, 2017;Papalambros et al, 2017;Tononi et al, 2010) and sustained attention (Krugliakova et al, 2022), consistent with observational study analytics that positively correlate the amount of NREM to the degree of learning and memory performance in both overnight sleep episodes and naps (Alger et al, 2012;Niknazar et al, 2022;Schabus et al, 2005;Whitmore et al, 2022). In fact, SWA may not only be use-dependent, but have localized effects ("local sleep") on involved brain regions following motor and memory tasks (Geva-Sagiv & Nir, 2019; and in rodents Vyazovskiy et al, 2006).…”