Human REM sleep controls neural excitability in support of memory formation

Lendner, J. D.; Mander, B. A.; Schuh-Hofer, S.; Schmidt, H.; Knight, R. T.; Walker, M. P.; Lin, J. J.; Helfrich, R. F.

doi:10.1101/2022.05.13.491801

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.05.13.491801

Human REM sleep controls neural excitability in support of memory formation

Lendner, J. D.·Mander, B. A.·Schuh-Hofer, S.·Schmidt, H.·Knight, R. T.·Walker, M. P.·Lin, J. J.·Helfrich, R. F.

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Abstract

Sleep oscillations provide a key substrate to facilitate memory processing, the underlying mechanism of which may involve the overnight homeostatic regulation of plasticity at a synaptic and whole-network level. However, there remains a lack of human data demonstrating if and how sleep enhances memory consolidation and associated neural homeostasis. We combined intracranial recordings and scalp electroencephalography (EEG) in humans to reveal a new role for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in promoting the homeostatic recalibration of optimal excitation/inhibition-balance. Moreover, the extent of this REM-sleep homeostatic recalibration predicted the success of overnight memory consolidation, expressly the modulation of hippocampal-- neocortical excitability favoring remembering rather than forgetting. The findings describe a novel, fundamental role of human REM sleep in maintaining neural homeostasis, thereby enhancing long-term memory.

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Lendner, J. D., Mander, B. A., Schuh-Hofer, S., Schmidt, H., Knight, R. T., Walker, M. P., Lin, J. J., Helfrich, R. F.. 2022-05-15. Human REM sleep controls neural excitability in support of memory formation. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.13.491801

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