Sleep-dependent memory consolidation and neurofeedback in insomnia - A long-term study
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1
University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Austria
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2
University of Salzburg, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Salzburg (CCNS), Austria
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3
University of Salzburg, Austria
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4
University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Austria
The suggested functions of sleep are manifold, involving adaptive strategies, physical recovery and more recently "offline" information reprocessing.
Here we now present a study in which the same type of declarative (word-pair learning) and procedural (finger-tapping) task was conducted four times (weeks apart) in the evening with subsequent interference manipulation the next morning in insomnia patients. In addition 36 healthy controls spend 3 nights in the laboratory to test for (healthy) sleep-dependent memory consolidation. In addition, 12-15Hz (sensorimotor rhythm; SMR) as well as placebo "neurofeedback" was conducted in the insomnia group.
With respect to the susceptibility to interference it becomes evident that interference affects the declarative memory domain much more than the procedural one. Forgetting from initial evening learning to a delayed recall after a week (as well as after interference) is also found more pronounced in insomnia patients than healthy controls.
Analyses of the sleep EEG and sleep spindles reveal a trait-like relationship between fast spindle activity (SpA) and (i) the initial learning levels in the declarative memory as well as (ii) an association with the declarative overnight memory change.
Last but not least our double-blind neurofeedback protocol indicates that patients suffering from insomnia are able to enhance SMR-power and (fast) sleep spindles over the 12 SMR training sessions. Yet direct benefits for sleep quality or memory consolidation were not observed, rather the subjective sleep complaint decreased unspecifically across both conditions.
Current results indicate that healthy as well as insomnia patients do show associations of (overnight) memory performance and (fast) sleep spindle activity and interestingly are even able to increase these spindles by means of instrumental 12-15Hz EEG conditioning.
Research was supported by FWF research grants (P-21154-B18; I-934) from the Austrian Science Foundation.
Keywords:
Memory,
Neurofeedback,
Sleep,
insomnia,
consolidation
Conference:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 27 Jul - 31 Jul, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Memory and Learning
Citation:
Schabus
M,
Griessenberger
H,
Heib
D,
Koerner
D and
Hoedlmoser
K
(2015). Sleep-dependent memory consolidation and neurofeedback in insomnia - A long-term study.
Conference Abstract:
XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00365
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Received:
19 Feb 2015;
Published Online:
24 Apr 2015.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Manuel Schabus, University of Salzburg, Department of Psychology, Salzburg, Austria, manuel.schabus@plus.ac.at