Competing Roles of Slow Oscillations and Delta Waves in Memory Consolidation versus Forgetting
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SUMMARY Sleep has been implicated in both memory consolidation and forgetting of experiences. However, it is unclear what governs the balance between consolidation and forgetting. Here we tested how activity-dependent processing during sleep might differentially regulate these two processes. We specifically examined how neural reactivations during NREM sleep were causally linked to consolidation versus weakening of the neural correlates of neuroprosthetic skill. Strikingly, we found that slow oscillations (SO) and delta-waves (δ) have dissociable and competing roles in consolidation versus forgetting. By modulating cortical spiking linked to SO or δ waves using closed-loop optogenetic methods, we could respectively weaken or strengthen consolidation and thereby bidirectionally modulate sleep-dependent performance gains. We further found that changes in the temporal coupling of spindles to SO relative to δ waves could account for such effects. Thus, our results indicate that neural activity driven by SO and δ waves have competing roles in sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
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In rats trained to control individual motor neurons, suppressing motor cortex activity during the SO upstate impaired memory for the trained motor neuron response.
“Suppressing motor cortex activity during the SO upstate, as expected, impaired memory for the trained motor neuron response.”
From Sleep—A brain-state serving systems memory consolidation (2023) · cites this paper as [178]
In the same experiments, suppression during delta wave upstates improved memory.
“By contrast, suppression during delta wave upstates improved memory.”
From Sleep—A brain-state serving systems memory consolidation (2023) · cites this paper as [178]
Work by Kim and colleagues points to opposing roles of SOs and delta waves, with only SOs enhancing consolidation.
“Work by Kim and colleagues 178 points to opposing roles with only the SOs enhancing consolidation.”
From Sleep—A brain-state serving systems memory consolidation (2023) · cites this paper as [178]
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References 72 · Cited by 254
- Authors
- Kim, J., Gulati, T., & Ganguly, K.
- Affiliations
- San Francisco VA Medical Center (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ganguly, Karunesh
- Venue
- Cell
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-10
- Volume
- 179
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 514-526.e13
- ISSN
- 0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6779327
- OpenAlex
- W2977737202
- Semantic Scholar
- 8a0637c24da088c27d6d9d58b741827fc5dbf20d
- Cited by
- 254
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 34 · 2022: 37 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 28 · 2019: 5
- FWCI
- 15.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Cell (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (1I01RX001640)
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund
- National Research Foundation of Korea (2018R1A6A3A03013031)
- Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (4R00NS097620, 5K02NS093014)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- slow oscillations, delta oscillations, memory consolidation, forgetting, sleep-dependent memory, NREM sleep, neural reactivation, sleep spindles, closed-loop optogenetics, temporal coupling
- MeSH terms
- Memory Consolidation, Animals, Brain, Delta Rhythm, Male, Sleep, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats
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