Odor cues during slow-wave sleep prompt declarative memory consolidation.

Full Abstract

Sleep facilitates memory consolidation. A widely held model assumes that this is because newly encoded memories undergo covert reactivation during sleep. We cued new memories in humans during sleep by presenting an odor that had been presented as context during prior learning, and so showed that reactivation indeed causes memory consolidation during sleep. Re-exposure to the odor during slow-wave sleep (SWS) improved the retention of hippocampus-dependent declarative memories but not of hippocampus-independent procedural memories. Odor re-exposure was ineffective during rapid eye movement sleep or wakefulness or when the odor had been omitted during prior learning. Concurring with these findings, functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant hippocampal activation in response to odor re-exposure during SWS.

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Author information

Author/s: Rasch, Björn (B); Büchel, Christian (C); Gais, Steffen (S); Born, Jan (J);

Affiliation: Department of Neuroendocrinology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160/23a, 23538 Lübeck, Germany. rasch(-atsign-)kfg.uni-luebeck.de

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Science (New York, N.Y.) (Science), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 315 (issue 5817) : pp 1426-9

Dates: Created 2007/03/09; Completed 2007/03/22;

PMID: 17347444, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Science. 2007 Mar 9;315(5817):1360-3. (PMID: 17347425)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Brain - physiology
Brain Mapping
Cues
Electroencephalography
Female
Hippocampus - physiology
Humans

Learning
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Memory - physiology
Odors
Sleep - physiology
Sleep, REM - physiology
Wakefulness

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