Development and Testing of a Device for Enhancing Memory During Sleep

描述（由申请人提供）：与神经发育障碍、神经退行性疾病和学习障碍相关的认知缺陷影响着数千万美国人的独立性和幸福感。最近在神经科学和心理学领域的研究提出了通过加强睡眠中活跃的记忆巩固过程来改善学习和记忆的新技术。慢波（“深度”）睡眠是一种非快速眼动睡眠，在此期间，在最近的学习过程中发生的大脑活动模式被重新播放并巩固——或“转移”到大脑中的长期记忆存储区域。值得注意的是，最近的一些研究表明，通过一种简单、安全、无创的技术，慢波睡眠期间的记忆巩固可以提高30%。这种增强记忆的方法包括四个步骤。(1)首先，在学习过程中提供嗅觉或声音等感官提示。接下来，在接下来的夜晚，研究人员用大脑记录或其他技术来监测受试者的深度、慢波睡眠。(3)此时，气味或声音被重新呈现。(4)为了评估记忆功能是否得到改善，第二天早上对受试者进行测试。我们第一阶段SBIR的具体目标是确定这些发现是否可以扩展到使用昂贵设备和训练有素的技术人员的少数学术研究实验室之外。牧羊犬科学公司成立的目的是设计一个廉价，易于使用和灵活的平台，以允许将这些发现应用于家庭或教育环境。我们希望这项技术将使所有年龄和认知能力的人受益。为了开发和评估这项技术的可行性，我们建议开发适合家庭beta测试的原型硬件（目标1）和网络服务（目标2），以确定这种效果是否能增强健康成年人在家庭环境中的记忆（目标3）。在这些早期的可行性研究之后，我们对神经发育障碍（如唐氏综合症）或神经退行性疾病（如阿尔茨海默病）患者的记忆增强特别感兴趣。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cognitive deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and learning disabilities affect the independence and well-being of tens of millions of Americans. Recent research in the fields of neuroscience and psychology suggest new techniques to improve learning and memory by enhancing memory consolidation processes active during sleep. Slow-wave ('deep') sleep is a form of non-REM sleep during which patterns of brain activity that occurred during recent episodes of learning are re-played and consolidated-or 'transferred'-to sites of long-term memory storage in the brain. Remarkably, a number of recent studies have shown that memory consolidation during slow-wave sleep can be enhanced by as much as ~30% with a simple, safe, and non-invasive technique. This memory enhancement technique involves four steps. (1) First, a sensory cue such as a smell or sound is presented during learning. (2) Next, the subject is monitored with brain recordings or other techniques during the subsequent night to detect periods of deep, slow-wave sleep. (3) At this time, the smell or sound is re-presented. (4) To evaluate whether memory function is improved, the subject is tested the following morning. Our Phase I SBIR specific aims are motivated by the goal of determining whether these findings can be extended beyond a small number of academic research laboratories using expensive equipment and trained technicians. Sheepdog Sciences was founded to design an inexpensive, easy-to-use, and flexible platform to permit application of these findings to a home or educational setting. We are hopeful that this technology will benefit people of all ages and cognitive abilities. To develop and assess the feasibility of this technology, we propose to develop prototype hardware (Aim 1) and web- services (Aim 2) suitable for in-home beta tests to determine whether this effect enhances memory in a home setting in healthy adults (Aim 3). Subsequent to these early feasibility studies, we are particularly interested in memory enhancement for individuals with neurodevelopment disorders such as Down syndrome or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Cognitive deficits associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and learning disabilities affect the independence and well-being of millions of Americans. Recent research has revealed a technique for improving memory function by associating a sensory cue with learning, then re-presenting the same cue during slow-wave sleep. The goal of this proposal is to determine the feasibility of applying these strategies in a non-laboratory setting to improve cognitive function in healthy subjects and individuals with intellectual disabilities and cognitive deficits.