The benefits of targeted memory reactivation for consolidation in sleep are contingent on memory accuracy and direct cue-memory associations

Cairney, Scott A.; Lindsay, Shane; Sobczak, Justyna M.; Paller, Ken A.; Gaskell, M. Gareth

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate how the effects of targeted memory reactivation (TMR) are influenced by memory accuracy prior to sleep and the presence or absence of direct cue-memory associations. Methods: 30 participants associated each of 50 pictures with an unrelated word and then with a screen location in two separate tasks. During picture-location training, each picture was also presented with a semantically related sound. The sounds were therefore directly associated with the picture locations but indirectly associated with the words. During a subsequent nap, half of the sounds were replayed in slow wave sleep (SWS) (TMR). The effect of TMR on memory for the picture locations (direct cue-memory associations) and picture-word pairs (indirect cue-memory associations) was then examined. Results: TMR reduced overall memory decay for recall of picture locations. Further analyses revealed a benefit of TMR for picture locations recalled with a low degree of accuracy prior to sleep, but not those recalled with a high degree of accuracy. The benefit of TMR for low accuracy memories was predicted by time spent in SWS. There was no benefit of TMR for memory of the picture-word pairs, irrespective of memory accuracy prior to sleep. Conclusions: TMR provides the greatest benefit to memories recalled with a low degree of accuracy prior to sleep. The memory benefits of TMR may also be contingent on direct cue-memory associations.

Citation

Cairney, S. A., Lindsay, S., Sobczak, J. M., Paller, K. A., & Gaskell, M. G. (2016). The benefits of targeted memory reactivation for consolidation in sleep are contingent on memory accuracy and direct cue-memory associations. SLEEP, 39(5), 1139-1150. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.5772

• Acceptance Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Online Publication Date: May 1, 2016
• Publication Date: May 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 4, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 1, 2016
• Journal: Sleep
• Print ISSN: 0161-8105
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 39
• Issue: 5
• Article Number: PII sp-00533-15
• Pages: 1139-1150
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.5772
• Keywords: Consolidation, Memory, Reactivation, Slow wave sleep
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/434796
• Publisher URL: http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?pid=30600
• Additional Information: This is a description of an article which has been published in: Sleep, 2016, v.39, issue 5
• Contract Date: Apr 4, 2016