To gain or not to gain – The complex role of sleep for memory

Schreiner, Thomas; Rasch, Björn

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2016.06.011

Cited by 18 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Indeed, recent work has suggested that TMR in sleep not only reduces forgetting but also increases the likelihood of “gaining” a memory that was previously forgotten. 69 Addressing this question in the context of the current study would provide further important insights into the mechanisms of overnight memory processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Mechanisms of Memory Retrieval in Slow-Wave Sleep

Cairney

Sobczak

Lindsay

et al. 2017

Sleep

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Study ObjectivesMemories are strengthened during sleep. The benefits of sleep for memory can be enhanced by re-exposing the sleeping brain to auditory cues; a technique known as targeted memory reactivation (TMR). Prior studies have not assessed the nature of the retrieval mechanisms underpinning TMR: the matching process between auditory stimuli encountered during sleep and previously encoded memories. We carried out two experiments to address this issue.MethodsIn Experiment 1, participants associated words with verbal and nonverbal auditory stimuli before an overnight interval in which subsets of these stimuli were replayed in slow-wave sleep. We repeated this paradigm in Experiment 2 with the single difference that the gender of the verbal auditory stimuli was switched between learning and sleep.ResultsIn Experiment 1, forgetting of cued (vs. noncued) associations was reduced by TMR with verbal and nonverbal cues to similar extents. In Experiment 2, TMR with identical nonverbal cues reduced forgetting of cued (vs. noncued) associations, replicating Experiment 1. However, TMR with nonidentical verbal cues reduced forgetting of both cued and noncued associations.ConclusionsThese experiments suggest that the memory effects of TMR are influenced by the acoustic overlap between stimuli delivered at training and sleep. Our findings hint at the existence of two processing routes for memory retrieval during sleep. Whereas TMR with acoustically identical cues may reactivate individual associations via simple episodic matching, TMR with nonidentical verbal cues may utilize linguistic decoding mechanisms, resulting in widespread reactivation across a broad category of memories.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Mechanisms of Memory Retrieval in Slow-Wave Sleep

Cairney

Sobczak

Lindsay

et al. 2017

Sleep

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“…This finding is consistent with at least two possible interpretations. Highlevel semantic information may be prioritised for active consolidation, an ongoing discussion in the consolidation literature (Dudai et al, 2015;Schreiner & Rasch, 2018). Or semantic information might be forgotten at a slower rate than perceptual information, a possibility we return to further below.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Feature-specific reaction times reveal a semanticisation of memories over time and with repeated remembering

Lifanov

Linde-Domingo²,

Wimber

2020

Preprint

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Memories are thought to undergo an episodic-to-semantic transformation in the course of their consolidation. We here tested if repeated recall induces a similar semanticization, and if the resulting qualitative changes in memories can be measured using simple feature-specific reaction time probes. Participants studied associations between verbs and object images, and then repeatedly recalled the objects when cued with the verb, immediately and after a two-day delay. Reaction times during immediate recall demonstrated that conceptual features were accessed faster than perceptual features. Consistent with a semanticization process, this perceptual-conceptual gap significantly increased across the delay. A significantly smaller perceptual-conceptual gap was found in the delayed recall data of a control group who repeatedly studied the verb-object pairings on the first day, instead of actively recalling them. Our findings suggest that wake recall and offline consolidation interact to transform memories over time, strengthening meaningful semantic information over perceptual detail.

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“…Memory quality has been suggested to impact the underlying processes of memory consolidation and their subsequent outcomes—that is, either memories already accessible prior to sleep are maintained or items previously not consciously available are gained (Dumay, 2016, 2018; Fenn & Hambrick, 2013). Several studies have indicated that sleep‐associated system consolidation mechanisms preferentially act on the maintenance of memories from weak to intermediate quality (Denis et al., 2020; Drosopoulos et al., 2007; Fenn & Hambrick, 2013; Muehlroth et al., 2020; Schapiro et al., 2018; Schreiner & Rasch, 2018; Wilhelm et al., 2012; but see Schoch et al., 2017; Tucker & Fishbein, 2008). Relying on memory performance averaged across items may thus introduce further unwanted noise (Tulving, 1967) when trying to disentangle the functions of sleep oscillations for memory consolidation across development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrophysiological indicators of sleep‐associated memory consolidation in 5‐ to 6‐year‐old children

2021

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It is widely agreed that rhythmic neuronal activity during sleep supports declarative memory consolidation (Diekelmann & Born, 2010;Watson & Buzsáki, 2015). Compelling evidence suggests that the underlying key mechanism is the reactivation of initially labile, learning-related neuronal activity in the hippocampus and its integration into cortical networks (Peyrache et al., 2009;Wilson & McNaughton, 1994). This system consolidation results in more durable and integrated mnemonic representations (Diekelmann & Born, 2010). However, given profound developmental changes in rhythmic neuronal activity,

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To gain or not to gain – The complex role of sleep for memory

Cited by 18 publications

References 25 publications

Mechanisms of Memory Retrieval in Slow-Wave Sleep

Mechanisms of Memory Retrieval in Slow-Wave Sleep

Feature-specific reaction times reveal a semanticisation of memories over time and with repeated remembering

Electrophysiological indicators of sleep‐associated memory consolidation in 5‐ to 6‐year‐old children

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