Individual Differences in Targeted Memory Reactivation

Presenter: Gabriel D. Weiner

Faculty Sponsor: Rebecca Spencer

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, 163, C18

ABSTRACT

Sleep enhances memory consolidation through coordinated neural activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep, which can enhance subsequent recall. Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) can selectively strengthen memories by presenting auditory cues during sleep that reactivate recently learned information, though this effect varies across individuals and tasks. Memory processing and sleep physiology may differ in individuals with higher autistic traits, particularly for tasks that require integrating spatial and auditory information. Sleep spindle density reflects thalamocortical communication and is associated with memory consolidation, yet both spindle activity and memory processes may be atypical in individuals with higher autistic traits. This study tests whether non-REM sleep spindle density predicts TMR-related changes in memory performance in healthy adults with varying levels of autistic traits. Participants complete an auditorily linked spatial image-location task before and after a polysomnography-monitored nap opportunity. During sleep, a subset of learned auditory cues is replayed during N2 and N3 sleep. The primary outcome measure is the change in memory performance from pre-sleep to post-sleep testing, comparing cued and uncued items. Statistical analyses will test associations between spindle density during TMR, memory performance, and autism trait scores. I will also examine whether slow oscillation-spindle coupling predicts performance in individuals who show a TMR-related memory benefit. I expect that higher spindle density will be associated with greater TMR-related memory benefit. I also predict that higher levels of autistic traits will be associated with reduced spindle density and altered TMR responsiveness.

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