Did you know that…..

A recent study, published by Nature Neuroscience, shows that reactivation of human memory serves distinct functions depending on the brain state of wakefulness or sleep ?

The investigators reactivated memories in humans by presenting associated odor cues either during SWS ( slow-wave sleep ) or wakefulness.

The conclusion was the following : “Functional magnetic resonance imaging revealed that reactivation during SWS mainly activated hippocampal and posterior cortical regions, whereas reactivation during wakefulness primarily activated prefrontal cortical areas”.

That study, entitled “Labile or stable: opposing consequences for memory when reactivated during waking and sleep”, has been carried out by Germans and Swiss investigators of Department of Neuroendocrinology, Lübeck, (Susanne Diekelmann), Department of Medical Psychology, Tübingen University, ( Jan Born), Department of Systems Neurosciences, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, (Christian Büchel), and Division of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Basel, (Björn Rasch).

(Edited by Dr. María Moya Guirao, MD)