Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208.
Cognitive Neuroscience Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Nov;119(44):e2123430119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2123430119. Epub 2022 Oct 24.
Human accomplishments depend on learning, and effective learning depends on consolidation. Consolidation is the process whereby new memories are gradually stored in an enduring way in the brain so that they can be available when needed. For factual or event knowledge, consolidation is thought to progress during sleep as well as during waking states and to be mediated by interactions between hippocampal and neocortical networks. However, consolidation is difficult to observe directly but rather is inferred through behavioral observations. Here, we investigated overnight memory change by measuring electrical activity in and near the hippocampus. Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were made in five patients from electrodes implanted to determine whether a surgical treatment could relieve their seizure disorders. One night, while each patient slept in a hospital monitoring room, we recorded electrophysiological responses to 10 to 20 specific sounds that were presented very quietly, to avoid arousal. Half of the sounds had been associated with objects and their precise spatial locations that patients learned before sleep. After sleep, we found systematic improvements in spatial recall, replicating prior results. We assume that when the sounds were presented during sleep, they reactivated and strengthened corresponding spatial memories. Notably, the sounds also elicited oscillatory intracranial EEG activity, including increases in theta, sigma, and gamma EEG bands. Gamma responses, in particular, were consistently associated with the degree of improvement in spatial memory exhibited after sleep. We thus conclude that this electrophysiological activity in the hippocampus and adjacent medial temporal cortex reflects sleep-based enhancement of memory storage.
人类的成就依赖于学习,而有效的学习又依赖于巩固。巩固是指新的记忆逐渐以持久的方式储存在大脑中的过程,以便在需要时可以使用。对于事实或事件知识,巩固被认为在睡眠期间以及清醒状态下进行,并通过海马体和新皮层网络之间的相互作用来介导。然而,巩固很难直接观察,而是通过行为观察来推断。在这里,我们通过测量海马体及其附近的电活动来研究夜间记忆的变化。对五名患者进行了脑电图(EEG)记录,这些患者的电极被植入以确定手术治疗是否可以缓解他们的癫痫发作障碍。有一个晚上,当每个患者在医院监测室睡觉时,我们记录了对 10 到 20 个特定声音的电生理反应,这些声音非常安静地呈现,以避免唤醒。这些声音中有一半与患者在睡前学习的物体及其精确空间位置有关。睡眠后,我们发现空间回忆的系统性改善,复制了之前的结果。我们假设,当声音在睡眠中呈现时,它们会重新激活并增强相应的空间记忆。值得注意的是,这些声音还引起了颅内 EEG 活动的振荡,包括θ波、σ波和γ波 EEG 带的增加。特别是γ反应与睡眠后空间记忆改善的程度密切相关。因此,我们得出结论,海马体及其相邻的内侧颞叶皮层的这种电生理活动反映了基于睡眠的记忆存储增强。