Scientists from the University of Munich have discovered an important link between breathing patterns during sleep and the brain’s ability to consolidate memories. The article was published on: magazine Nature Communications (part of the Nature journal group).
During NREM (non-REM) sleep, the brain undergoes fluctuations in activity that are thought to be critical for the transfer and consolidation of memories. But the intricacies of the regulation of these processes remained a secret. Given the growing evidence that breathing during wakefulness affects cognitive functions, researchers wanted to find out whether breathing during sleep might have a similar effect.
The study involved 20 healthy participants who were observed during two separate recording sessions of brain activity during sleep, at least one week apart. However, before the experiment started, all volunteers underwent an adaptation sleep session. This step was critical to ensure participants’ comfort and minimize any potential disruptions or concerns that might arise from sleeping in an unfamiliar environment.
Before falling asleep, participants had to complete a series of tasks, including a memory task as well as a test to assess alertness and reaction time. The volunteers were then allowed to sleep for 120 minutes, during which their brain activity, muscle activity, heart activity and breathing were recorded. The participants’ alertness and memory were then tested again.
A key finding was a significant link between breathing rhythm and specific brain activity during sleep, known as slow oscillations and sleep spindles. Slow oscillations are a type of deep, slow brain waves that occur during restorative sleep. Sleep spindles, on the other hand, are sudden bursts of oscillatory activity in the brain.
These two types of brain activity were subtly synchronized with breathing patterns. Slow oscillations frequently occurred just before the inspiratory peak, whereas sleep spindles tended to occur just afterward. This synchronization appears to be a fundamental aspect of how the brain regulates memory consolidation during sleep.
“In fact, the way participants breathed during sleep affected memory processing efficiency. The findings highlight the fact that sleep is truly important for both our physical health and cognitive functioning. Accordingly, it is crucial to maintain good sleep hygiene to preserve cognitive function,” the authors noted.
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