REM Sleep and Memory

摘要 睡眠在记忆巩固过程中的重要性在男性中得到了广泛的认可和研究。我们 已经对睡眠特定阶段的神经活动模式如何促进 记忆网络的强化、弱化和重组。我们和其他人发现，快速眼 运动（REM）睡眠持续时间和θ节律的强度，电活动的特征模式 在快速眼动睡眠中很常见，有助于记忆处理。快速眼动睡眠的重要调节器之一， 记忆巩固是脑干中的蓝斑核，它福尔斯沉默，从而允许 反向学习所必需的突触去增强。虽然去甲肾上腺素的存在， 清醒时会促进突触的强化，但在REM睡眠中出现这种情况可能是适应不良的。 其中新的信息必须被集成到旧的存储器模式中。我们实验室的工作已经确定了 REM睡眠期间蓝斑沉默对正确逆转学习重要作用睡眠的其他特征 在学习中也很重要。然而，我们完全不知道蓝斑是否也会在脑缺血时保持福尔斯沉默。 女性的REM睡眠雌激素受体在蓝斑上发现，提供了一个设定的限制功能， 对压力刺激的反应。周期性性腺激素（如雌激素）似乎也会影响睡眠质量， 人类我们试图研究睡眠和蓝斑活动是如何在发情周期中被修改的， 女性，看看这些参数的变化如何影响记忆巩固的机制， 睡眠，使用依赖于海马的恐惧条件反射、消退和消退回忆学习范式 学习和巩固睡眠。考虑到女性更容易患上焦虑症，我们希望 确定睡眠期间不适当的LC活动，特别是在低激素阶段，是否会导致恐惧 记忆巩固缺陷在这一资助期内的基本发现应该提供 关于发情周期如何改变睡眠特征和大脑区域的突破性知识， 学习，以便今后在解决女性心理健康问题方面取得进展。

ABSTRACT The importance of sleep in the memory consolidation process is well accepted and well studied in males. We have generated a good understanding of how neural activity patterns during specific stages of sleep facilitate strengthening, weakening, and reorganization of memory networks. We and others have found that, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration and the strength of the theta rhythm, the featured pattern of electrical activity common in REM sleep, contributes to memory processing. One of the important regulators of REM sleep for memory consolidation is the nucleus locus coeruleus in the brainstem which falls silent and thereby allows the depotentiation of synapses necessary for reversal learning. Although the presence of norepinephrine during waking encourages strengthening of synapses, its presence in REM sleep may be maladaptive in the case where new information must be integrated into an old memory schema. Work in our lab has identified the important role of locus coeruleus silence during REM sleep for proper reversal learning. Other features of sleep are also important in learning. However it is entirely unknown whether the locus coeruleus also falls silent in REM sleep in females. Estrogen receptors are found on the locus coeruleus, providing a set-limit function on reactivity to stressful stimuli. Cycling gonadal hormones (like estrogen) also seem to affect sleep quality in humans. We seek to investigate how sleep and locus coeruleus activity is modified across the estrus cycle in females, and see how changes in these parameters might influence mechanisms of memory consolidation in sleep, using a fear conditioning, extinction, and extinction recall learning paradigm dependent on hippocampal learning and on sleep consolidation. Given that females are more vulnerable to anxiety disorders, we want to determine if inappropriate LC activity during sleep, particularly during low hormone phases, contributes to fear memory consolidation deficits. The fundamental discoveries made in this grant period should provide groundbreaking knowledge in how the estrous cycle alters sleep features and brain areas that are important in learning so that future advances can be made in addressing mental health in females.