048 Increased Cognitive Load Under Stress Modulates Sleep Spindles and Slow Oscillations in a Sleep-Stage Dependent Manner

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A20-A21
Author(s):  
Nikhilesh Natraj ◽  
Thomas Neylan ◽  
Leslie Yack ◽  
Daniel Mathalon ◽  
Anne Richards

Abstract Introduction The effect of increased cognitive load especially under duress has been known to affect brain rhythms in humans. However, this effect has been shown primarily in the awake brain; the effect of stressful cognitive load on sleep rhythms is yet unclear. We leveraged a unique opportunity to understand the effect of cognitive load under laboratory stress on sleep spindles and slow oscillations that are hallmark rhythms of NREM sleep. Methods Cortical 6-channel EEG nap data were collected from 45 subjects over two separate days: after a control session without laboratory stressors and after an experimental session in which they underwent fear condiitoning and negative-emotional-image viewing sessions. We detected sleep spindles (11-13Hz over frontal regions and 13-16Hz over centroposterior regions) and slow oscillations (0.16–1.25Hz oscillations) as discrete events at each of the six electrodes, and staged them by the sleep hypnogram. We evaluated the spindle rate in N2 sleep and the proportion of slow oscillations nested with a spindle in N3 sleep. Results Over all 6 EEG electrodes, N2 spindle rates increased on average by 14% in the experimental session compared to the control session (mixed-effect models p<0.001). In addition, over all 6 electrodes, the proportion of slow oscillations in N3 nested with a spindle increased by 2.3% in the experimental session compared to the control session (mixed effect model, p=0.005). Conclusion We show for the first time how increased cognitive load under stressful laboratory conditions affects sleep rhythms. Such an increased response in sleep might correspond to a continued emotional response due to the cognitive load under duress. Ongoing work seeks to tie these findings to possible emotional memory consolidation. Support (if any) VA Career Development Award to Dr. Richards (5IK2CX000871-05)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yina Wei ◽  
Giri P Krishnan ◽  
Maxim Komarov ◽  
Maxim Bazhenov

AbstractSleep plays an important role in consolidation of recent memories. However, the mechanisms of consolidation remain poorly understood. In this study, using a realistic computational model of the thalamocortical network, we demonstrated that sleep spindles (the hallmark of N2 stage sleep) and slow oscillations (the hallmark of N3 stage sleep) both facilitate spike sequence replay as necessary for consolidation. When multiple memories were trained, the local nature of spike sequence replay during spindles allowed replay of the memories independently, while during slow oscillations replay of the weak memory was competing to the strong memory replay. This led to the weak memory extinction unless when sleep spindles (N2 sleep) preceded slow oscillations (N3 sleep), as observed during natural sleep. Our study presents a mechanistic explanation for the role of sleep rhythms in memory consolidation and proposes a testable hypothesis how the natural structure of sleep stages provides an optimal environment to consolidate memories.Significant StatementNumerous studies suggest importance of NREM sleep rhythms – spindles and slow oscillations - in sleep related memory consolidation. However, synaptic mechanisms behind the role of these rhythms in memory and learning are still unknown. Our new study predicts that sleep replay - the neuronal substrate of memory consolidation - is organized within the sleep spindles and coordinated by the Down to Up state transitions of the slow oscillation. For multiple competing memories, slow oscillations facilitated only strongest memory replay, while sleep spindles allowed a consolidation of the multiple competing memories independently. Our study predicts how the basic structure of the natural sleep stages provides an optimal environment for consolidation of multiple memories.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A37-A38
Author(s):  
P Malerba ◽  
L N Whitehurst ◽  
S C Mednick

Abstract Introduction Brain oscillations found during sleep are hypothesized to mediate sleep-dependent memory consolidation, by coordinating cortical-subcortical activity and enabling synaptic plasticity. In particular, sleep spindles (10-16Hz) density and coordination with slow oscillations (SOs, 0.5–1.5 Hz) have been shown to correlate with memory performance post-sleep. In this study, we characterize how spindles are organized on the electrode manifold, and their relation to SO topography. Methods We conducted a sleep-memory study where subjects learned word-pair associations in the morning and were tested in the evening and the next morning. Polysomnography was collected during the night. We detected sleep spindles at each electrode independently and study their basic biophysical properties (density, amplitude, frequency, duration) in light sleep (stage 2, S2) and deep sleep (slow wave sleep, SWS) separately, including their co-occurrence with SOs. We categorize spindles that are co-detected across electrodes within a short time window and study how properties change across groups. Results We find a gradual increase in average spindle frequency in the frontal-occipital axis, but no bimodality in frequency distribution. Furthermore, spindles paired to SOs (a minority in both stages) are shorter than non-paired spindles. We find that coordination between spindles and SO troughs is frequency but not amplitude selective; and differs between the two sleep stages. In S2, slow spindles precede SOs in frontal electrodes and fast spindles follow SOs in centro-posterior electrodes. Our clusters of spindle topography include a Frontal and a Posterior cluster. These clusters mirror the commonly considered slow-frontal and fast-posterior spindles, but contain less than half of all S2 spindles. Clustering identifies sub-types of spindle-SO complexes whose density is linked to memory performance. Conclusion Our study shows that specific sub-types of sleep oscillations, defined by their topography, support the coordination between spindles and SOs which could mediate cortical-subcortical dialogue during sleep. Support This work was supported by NIH grant (R01 AG046646) to Sara C. Mednick


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyle Muller

Sleep is generally considered to be a state of large-scale synchrony across thalamus and neocortex; however, recent work has challenged this idea by reporting isolated sleep rhythms such as slow-oscillations and spindles. What is the spatial scale of sleep rhythms? To answer this question, we adapted deep learning algorithms initially developed for detecting earthquakes and gravitational waves in high-noise settings for analysis of neural recordings in sleep. We then studied sleep spindles in non-human primate ECoG, human EEG, and clinical intracranial recordings (iEEG) in the human. We find a widespread extent of spindles, which has direct implications for the spatiotemporal dynamics we have previously studied in spindle oscillations (Muller et al., 2016) and the distribution of memory engrams in the primate.


Author(s):  
Michelle A. Frazer ◽  
Yesenia Cabrera ◽  
Rockelle S. Guthrie ◽  
Gina R. Poe

Abstract Purpose of review This paper reviews all optogenetic studies that directly test various sleep states, traits, and circuit-level activity profiles for the consolidation of different learning tasks. Recent findings Inhibiting or exciting neurons involved either in the production of sleep states or in the encoding and consolidation of memories reveals sleep states and traits that are essential for memory. REM sleep, NREM sleep, and the N2 transition to REM (characterized by sleep spindles) are integral to memory consolidation. Neural activity during sharp-wave ripples, slow oscillations, theta waves, and spindles are the mediators of this process. Summary These studies lend strong support to the hypothesis that sleep is essential to the consolidation of memories from the hippocampus and the consolidation of motor learning which does not necessarily involve the hippocampus. Future research can further probe the types of memory dependent on sleep-related traits and on the neurotransmitters and neuromodulators required.


2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 1597-1610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik J. Kaestner ◽  
John T. Wixted ◽  
Sara C. Mednick

Sleep affects declarative memory for emotional stimuli differently than it affects declarative memory for nonemotional stimuli. However, the interaction between specific sleep characteristics and emotional memory is not well understood. Recent studies on how sleep affects emotional memory have focused on rapid eye movement sleep (REM) but have not addressed non-REM sleep, particularly sleep spindles. This is despite the fact that sleep spindles are implicated in declarative memory as well as neural models of memory consolidation (e.g., hippocampal neural replay). Additionally, many studies examine a limited range of emotional stimuli and fail to disentangle differences in memory performance because of variance in valence and arousal. Here, we experimentally increase non-REM sleep features, sleep spindle density, and SWS, with pharmacological interventions using zolpidem (Ambien) and sodium oxybate (Xyrem) during daytime naps. We use a full spread of emotional stimuli to test all levels of valence and arousal. We find that increasing sleep spindle density increases memory discrimination (da) for highly arousing and negative stimuli without altering measures of bias (ca). These results indicate a broader role for sleep in the processing of emotional stimuli with differing effects based on arousal and valence, and they raise the possibility that sleep spindles causally facilitate emotional memory consolidation. These findings are discussed in terms of the known use of hypnotics in individuals with emotional mood disorders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel C. Hutchison ◽  
Stefania Pezzoli ◽  
Maria-Efstratia Tsimpanouli ◽  
Mahmoud E. A. Abdellahi ◽  
Penelope A. Lewis

AbstractA growing body of evidence suggests that sleep can help to decouple the memory of emotional experiences from their associated affective charge. This process is thought to rely on the spontaneous reactivation of emotional memories during sleep, though it is still unclear which sleep stage is optimal for such reactivation. We examined this question by explicitly manipulating memory reactivation in both rapid-eye movement sleep (REM) and slow-wave sleep (SWS) using targeted memory reactivation (TMR) and testing the impact of this manipulation on habituation of subjective arousal responses across a night. Our results show that TMR during REM, but not SWS significantly decreased subjective arousal, and this effect is driven by the more negative stimuli. These results support one aspect of the sleep to forget, sleep to remember (SFSR) hypothesis which proposes that emotional memory reactivation during REM sleep underlies sleep-dependent habituation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe A. Torres ◽  
Patricio Orio ◽  
María-José Escobar

AbstractSlow-wave sleep cortical brain activity, conformed by slow-oscillations and sleep spindles, plays a key role in memory consolidation. The increase of the power of the slow-wave events, obtained by auditory sensory stimulation, positively correlates to memory consolidation performance. However, little is known about the experimental protocol maximizing this effect, which could be induced by the power of slow-oscillation, the number of sleep spindles, or the timing of both events’ co-occurrence. Using a mean-field model of thalamocortical activity, we studied the effect of several stimulation protocols, varying the pulse shape, duration, amplitude, and frequency, as well as a target-phase using a closed-loop approach. We evaluated the effect of these parameters on slow-oscillations (SO) and sleep-spindles (SP), considering: (i) the power at the frequency bands of interest, (ii) the number of SO and SP, (iii) co-occurrences between SO and SP, and (iv) synchronization of SP with the up-peak of the SO. The first three targets are maximized using a decreasing ramp pulse with a pulse duration of 50 ms. Also, we observed a reduction in the number of SO when increasing the stimulus energy by rising its amplitude. To assess the target-phase parameter, we applied closed-loop stimulation at 0º, 45º, and 90º of the phase of the narrow-band filtered ongoing activity, at 0.85 Hz as central frequency. The 0º stimulation produces better results in the power and number of SO and SP than the rhythmic or aleatory stimulation. On the other hand, stimulating at 45º or 90º change the timing distribution of spindles centers but with fewer co-occurrences than rhythmic and 0º phase. Finally, we propose the application of closed-loop stimulation at the rising zero-cross point using pulses with a decreasing ramp shape and 50 ms of duration for future experimental work.Author summaryDuring the non-REM (NREM) phase of sleep, events that are known as slow oscillations (SO) and spindles (SP) can be detected by EEG. These events have been associated with the consolidation of declarative memories and learning. Thus, there is an ongoing interest in promoting them during sleep by non-invasive manipulations such as sensory stimulation. In this paper, we used a computational model of brain activity that generates SO and SP, to investigate which type of sensory stimulus –shape, amplitude, duration, periodicity– would be optimal for increasing the events’ frequency and their co-occurrence. We found that a decreasing ramp of 50 ms duration is the most effective. The effectiveness increases when the stimulus pulse is delivered in a closed-loop configuration triggering the pulse at a target phase of the ongoing SO activity. A desirable secondary effect is to promote SPs at the rising phase of the SO oscillation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daphne Chylinski ◽  
Maxime Van Egroo ◽  
Justinas Narbutas ◽  
Ekaterina Koshmanova ◽  
Christian Berthomier ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent literature is pointing towards a tight relationship between sleep quality and amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulation, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Sleep arousals are considered to induce sleep disruption, and though their heterogeneity has been suggested, their correlates remain to be established. We classified arousals in sleep of 100 healthy older individuals according to their association with muscular tone increase (E+/E-) and sleep stage transition (T+/T-), and show differences in EEG oscillatory compositions across arousal types. We found that T + E- arousals, which interrupt sleep stability, were positively correlated with Aβ burden in brain regions earliest affected by AD neuropathology. By contrast, more prevalent T-E + arousals, upholding sleep continuity, were associated with lower cortical Aβ burden, and better cognition. We provide empirical evidence that spontaneous arousals are diverse and differently associated with brain integrity and cognition. Sleep arousals may offer opportunities to transiently synchronise distant brain areas, akin to sleep spindles.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Sang Sunwoo ◽  
Kwang Su Cha ◽  
Jung-Ick Byun ◽  
Jin-Sun Jun ◽  
Tae-Joon Kim ◽  
...  

Abstract Study Objectives We investigated electroencephalographic (EEG) slow oscillations (SOs), sleep spindles (SSs), and their temporal coordination during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD). Methods We analyzed 16 patients with video-polysomnography-confirmed iRBD (age, 65.4 ± 6.6 years; male, 87.5%) and 10 controls (age, 62.3 ± 7.5 years; male, 70%). SSs and SOs were automatically detected during stage N2 and N3. We analyzed their characteristics, including density, frequency, duration, and amplitude. We additionally identified SO-locked spindles and examined their phase distribution and phase locking with the corresponding SO. For inter-group comparisons, we used the independent samples t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test, as appropriate. Results The SOs of iRBD patients had significantly lower amplitude, longer duration (p = 0.005 for both), and shallower slope (p < 0.001) than those of controls. The SS power of iRBD patients was significantly lower than that of controls (p = 0.002), although spindle density did not differ significantly. Furthermore, SO-locked spindles of iRBD patients prematurely occurred during the down-to-up-state transition of SOs, whereas those of controls occurred at the up-state peak of SOs (p = 0.009). The phase of SO-locked spindles showed a positive correlation with delayed recall subscores (p = 0.005) but not with tonic or phasic electromyography activity during REM sleep. Conclusions In this study, we found abnormal EEG oscillations during NREM sleep in patients with iRBD. The impaired temporal coupling between SOs and SSs may reflect early neurodegenerative changes in iRBD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Burdet ◽  
Thu Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Xavier Duval ◽  
Stéphanie Ferreira ◽  
Antoine Andremont ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although the global deleterious impact of antibiotics on the intestinal microbiota is well known, temporal changes in microbial diversity during and after an antibiotic treatment are still poorly characterized. We used plasma and fecal samples collected frequently during treatment and up to one month after from 22 healthy volunteers assigned to a 5-day treatment by moxifloxacin (n = 14) or no intervention (n = 8). Moxifloxacin concentrations were measured in both plasma and feces, and bacterial diversity was determined in feces by 16S rRNA gene profiling and quantified using the Shannon index and number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Nonlinear mixed effect models were used to relate drug pharmacokinetics and bacterial diversity over time. Moxifloxacin reduced bacterial diversity in a concentration-dependent manner, with a median maximal loss of 27.5% of the Shannon index (minimum [min], 17.5; maximum [max], 27.7) and 47.4% of the number of OTUs (min, 30.4; max, 48.3). As a consequence of both the long fecal half-life of moxifloxacin and the susceptibility of the gut microbiota to moxifloxacin, bacterial diversity indices did not return to their pretreatment levels until days 16 and 21, respectively. Finally, the model characterized the effect of moxifloxacin on bacterial diversity biomarkers and provides a novel framework for analyzing antibiotic effects on the intestinal microbiome.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document