Sleep spindles stabilize human thalamocortical networks, inhibiting pathological disruptions

Abstract

The thalamus coordinates sleep-dependent brain function including memory consolidation, sensory gating, and network stability through spindle oscillations. Thalamocortical circuits are also affected in many neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet how human thalamocortical circuits respond to pathological disruptions remain poorly understood. Here, we leveraged interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) as spontaneous perturbations to probe spindle-generating circuits and thalamocortical dynamics in vivo. Using multi-night intracranial recordings spanning multiple thalamic nuclei and cortical regions in 55 individuals with epilepsy, we investigated interactions between sleep spindles and epileptic activity across timescales from milliseconds to days. Sleep spindles were associated with IED suppression, whereas IEDs increased subsequent spindle probability, revealing bidirectional interactions between physiological and pathological activity. Nights with lower IEDs corresponded to increased spindle occurrence, longer duration, and faster frequency, reflecting a more stable thalamocortical state. These findings propose sleep spindles as potential regulators of thalamocortical networks that actively respond to and regulate pathological activity.