Cited by 158Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchMemory and Neural MechanismsNeural dynamics and brain function

Abnormal locus coeruleus sleep activity alters sleep signatures of memory consolidation and impairs place cell stability and spatial memory

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Swift, Kevin M., Gross, Brooks A., Frazer, Michelle A., Bauer, David S., Clark, Kyle J.D., Vazey, Elena M., Aston-Jones, Gary, Li, Yong +3 more·2018·Current Biology

Abstract

Sleep is critical for proper memory consolidation. The locus coeruleus (LC) releases norepinephrine throughout the brain except when the LC falls silent throughout rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and prior to each non-REM (NREM) sleep spindle. We hypothesize that these transient LC silences allow the synaptic plasticity that is necessary to incorporate new information into pre-existing memory circuits. We found that spontaneous LC activity within sleep spindles triggers a decrease in spindle power. By optogenetically stimulating norepinephrine-containing LC neurons at 2 Hz during sleep, we reduced sleep spindle occurrence, as well as NREM delta power and REM theta power, without causing arousals or changing sleep amounts. Stimulating the LC during sleep following a hippocampus-dependent food location learning task interfered with consolidation of newly learned locations and reconsolidation of previous locations, disrupting next-day place cell activity. The LC stimulation-induced reduction in NREM sleep spindles, delta, and REM theta and reduced ripple-spindle coupling all correlated with decreased hippocampus-dependent performance on the task. Thus, periods of LC silence during sleep following learning are essential for normal spindle generation, delta and theta power, and consolidation of spatial memories.

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  1. [35]Tamminen J, Payne JD, Stickgold R, Wamsley EJ, and Gareth M. (2011). Sleep spindle activity is associated with the integration of new memories into existing knowledge. J. Neurosci. 30, 14356– 14360. PMC2989532 20980591

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Authors
Swift, K. M., Gross, B. A., Frazer, M. A., Bauer, D. S., Clark, K. J. D., Vazey, E. M., Aston-Jones, G., Li, Y., Pickering, A. E., Sara, S. J., & Poe, G. R.
Affiliations
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (US)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst (US)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • Collège de France (FR)
Corresponding author
Poe, Gina R.
Venue
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-11
Volume
28
Issue
22
Pages
3599-3609.e4
ISSN
0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2899315813
Cited by
158
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 34 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 1
FWCI
5.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Rutgers University Community Repository (Rutgers University) (submittedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • NIMH (R01 60670, br088373)
  • Wellcome Senior Clinical
  • University of Michigan Systems and Integrative Biology T32
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
locus coeruleus, norepinephrine, sleep spindles, memory consolidation, spatial memory, REM sleep, NREM sleep, hippocampus-dependent learning, memory reconsolidation, optogenetic stimulation, synaptic plasticity
MeSH terms
Memory Consolidation, Place Cells, Sleep, Slow-Wave, Animals, Brain, Electroencephalography, Hippocampus, Locus Coeruleus, Male, Sleep, Sleep Stages, Sleep, REM, Theta Rhythm, Rats, Long-Evans, Rats, CA1 Region, Hippocampal, Spatial Memory

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