Does targeted memory reactivation during slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep have differential effects on mnemonic discrimination and generalization?

Abstract

Targeted memory reactivation (TMR), or the presentation of learning-related cues during sleep, has been shown to benefit memory consolidation for specific memory traces when applied during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Prior studies suggest that TMR during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may play a role in memory generalization processes, but evidence remains scarce. We tested the hypothesis that TMR exerts a differential effect on distinct mnemonic processes as a function of the sleep state (REM vs. NREM) in which TMR is delivered. Mnemonic discrimination and generalization of semantic categories were investigated using an adapted version of the Mnemonic Similarity Task, before and after sleep. Forty-eight participants encoded pictures from eight semantic categories, each associated with a sound. In the pre-sleep immediate test, they had to discriminate "old" (targets) from "similar" (lures) or "new" (foils) pictures. During sleep, half of the sounds were replayed in slow wave sleep (SWS) or REM sleep. Recognition, discrimination, and generalization memory indices were tested in the morning. These indices did not differ between SWS and REM TMR groups or reactivated and non-reactivated item categories. Additional results suggest a positive effect of TMR on performance for highly similar items mostly relying on mnemonic discrimination processes. During sleep, EEG activity after cue presentation increased in the delta-theta and sigma band in the SWS group, and in the beta band in the REM TMR group. These results do not support the hypothesis of differential processing of novel memory traces when TMR is administered in distinctive physiological sleep states.