The neural correlates of human cognitive abilities during sleep

研究表明，当面临一个需要解决的问题时，古老的谚语“睡一觉”是一个很好的建议。在这里，我们提出了一个问题：睡眠中的大脑如何支持解决新问题的能力，并获得新的认知策略？我之前的研究已经表明，当一个新规则被学习并用于解决问题时，睡眠支持形成新记忆的过程。令人惊讶的是，我的工作还揭示了睡眠的特征：“睡眠纺锤波”，是唯一已知的与推理技能有关的自发电生理振荡。然而，解决问题和睡眠之间关系的神经基础尚不清楚，因此限制了我们对睡眠如何支持白天认知功能的理解。通过这种方式，睡眠可以作为了解我们对复杂问题的新颖解决方案的能力的窗口。这项拟议中的研究将采用脑电图（EEG），磁共振神经成像（MRI）和认知测试的创新组合，以揭示支持清醒认知功能的神经基质。通过有助于更好地了解睡眠的功能，这项研究将使我们能够更好地了解睡眠不足的影响，这影响了多达40%的人口。这项工作是重要的第一步，最终可能导致开发利用纺锤体增强神经调节技术的新干预措施（例如，使用药物、脑刺激或神经反馈）来改善白天的认知表现。

Research has shown that when faced with a problem to solve, the old adage to “sleep on it” is good advice. Here, we ask the question: How does the sleeping brain support the ability to solve new problems, and acquire new cognitive strategies? My previous work has shown that sleep supports the process of forming new memories when a new rule is learned and used to solve a problem. Surprisingly, my work has also revealed that the characteristic features of sleep: “sleep spindles”, are the only known spontaneous electrophysiological oscillations that are related to reasoning skills. However, the neural basis of the relationship between problem solving and sleep is not known, thus limiting our understanding how sleep supports daytime cognitive functioning. In this way, sleep may serve as a window into understanding our ability to arrive at novel solutions to complex problems. The proposed research will employ an innovative combination of electroencephalography (EEG), magnetic resonance neuroimaging (MRI) and cognitive testing to uncover the neural substrates that support waking cognitive function. By contributing to a better understanding of the functions of sleep, this research will allow us to better understand the impact of sleep loss, which affects up to 40% of the population. This work is an important first step that may ultimately lead to the development of novel interventions utilizing spindle-enhancing neuromodulatory techniques (e.g., using pharmacological agents, brain stimulation or neurofeedback) to improve daytime cognitive performance.*****************************************