Sleep Science Podcast

Daniel Bendor, neuroscientist at UCL studying hippocampal place cells and memory replay in rodents. He discusses how targeted memory reactivation can bias hippocampal replay, the cortex–hippocampus dialogue that may train cortical memory components, differences between REM and non-REM replay, and ethical worries around manipulating memories.

Björn Rasch, a sleep researcher and psychology professor who pioneered Targeted Memory Reactivation, discusses using scents and sounds to cue memories during sleep. He talks about neural signatures like spindles and theta, timing cues to slow oscillations, limits and interference effects, and how sleep can amplify therapy outcomes such as reducing phobias.

In this episode we take a neuroethological approach to sleep, and discover why songbirds are such a good model system for studying sleep's role in learning. These include advantages like songbirds' sleep-wake patterns and sleep architecture being more similar to human's than rodents', the fact that songbirds are strongly motivated to learn their songs, which can then be easily assessed for accuracy, and the observation that population-level neuronal replay in the song system is often very easy to identify, since patterns of neural firing during replay can actually sound like the songs.  We're led through this fascinating topic by Professor Dan Margoliash and Dr Tim Brawn, whose work in Zebrafinches and Starlings has revealed valuable insights into perceptual, declarative and procedural learning, as well as how reconsolidation works, and into why interference learning may sometimes even be useful.If you'd like to find out more about their work you can find links to their research pages and to some key studies referenced in the episode below:Here are the websites for Professor Dan Margoliash and Dr. Tim Brawn Here are links to some of the studies mentioned in the podcast:        o Reconsolidation & interference        o Perceptual & interference learning        o Tutor song selective neurons        o Finger-tapping         o Sleep for perceptual learning        o Sensorimotor integrationGlossary of terms from the podcastFinger-tapping task = explicitly learning a numeric sequence and typing it as fast and accurately as possible with your non-dominant hand. For instance, you might be asked to type the sequence 4-1-3-2-4 repeatedly while the sequence is displayed on a screen. This primarily tests procedural learning rather than working memory.Interference = one memory hindering the retrieval of another, e.g. because both memories have overlapping retrieval cues.Neuronal bursting = periods of multiple action potentials clustered together, which are then followed by extended silent periods.Reconsolidation = refers to how recalling memories returns them to a labile state, meaning they then need to be re-stabilized to commit them back to long term memory. New learning that takes place before this happens can be used to update the original memory.Song motif = the individual phrases that make up the song. They are themselves constructed from syllables.Song stereotypy = refers to a bird's song being repeated with great consistency once learned.Song system = the discrete set of brain areas that controls song learning and production.Check out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

Thomas Andrillon, a sleep researcher studying acoustic learning and sensory suppression in REM, and Anat Arzi, an olfaction specialist who showed humans can form associations and reduce smoking during sleep, discuss whether and how the brain picks up new information while asleep. They compare REM and non-REM windows, olfactory versus acoustic methods, timing and phase effects, and practical limits for clinical use.

In this episode we examine how sleep differs between species to get some clues about  what sleep actually is as a phenomenon. How have marine animals solved the problem of sleeping when they regularly need to come up for air? And how do amphibians adapt their sleep architecture from life at sea to life on the land? What can mice running on their wheels tell us about what may be happening in our brains when we're performing tasks on autopilot? How do states like hibernation or torpor relate to sleep? Are sleep stages really as homogeneous as we like to think? Might even plants show some ability to learn connected to their circadian rhythms? We will find out the answers to all of these questions and more in conversation with Dr Vlad Vyazovskiy.If you'd like to find out more about Dr Vyazovskiy's work you can find his Oxford University profile and a link to Oxford's Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute below.Vlad recommends the following articles if you'd like to learn more about hibernation, wheel running, or local sleep:https://theconversation.com/could-humans-hibernate-54519https://theconversation.com/why-running-could-keep-you-awake-at-night-69320https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sleeping-while-awake/GlossaryCrepuscular = active during twilightDiurnal = Active during the dayDown state = silent/non-firing period of a neuronHomeothermic = animals that maintain a stable body temperatureLTP = Long Term Potentiation, a long-lasting strengthening of synaptic connectionsPhotoperiod = day lengthSleep homeostasis = the pressure to sleep that builds up with time awake. It is linked to the accumulation of adenosine as we break down ATP to provide energy for various activities.Check out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

Gina Poe, UCLA neuroscientist who studies sleep, memory and emotion in rodents. She discusses memory replay during REM and how spindles time schema updating. She explores REM’s role in loosening and reconsolidating memories, links to PTSD and propranolol timing, and surprising local sleep where hippocampus and cortex dissociate.

In this episode we look back on the beliefs and practices people had around sleep in the 16th-18th centuries. We learn about why sleep was thought so important for health, how various habits and superstitions arose around sleep often rooted in medicine or religion, and how the bedroom became a symbol of status and power. We also cover how the electrification of society radically changed our relationship with sleep.Produced by:  Dominic CarrIf you'd like to learn more about Professor Sasha Handley's work on the history of sleep, or are interested in checking out her book, feel free to follow the links below:Professor Handley's researcher profile: https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/sasha.handley.htmlGoodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28819134-sleep-in-early-modern-englandAmazon link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleep-Early-Modern-England-Handley/dp/0300220391More on the How We Used to Sleep Project: http://www.historiesofsleep.com/This recording is property of the sleep science podcast and not for resaleCheck out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.

In this episode, we speak with Professor Bob Stickgold, one of the most prominent researchers in the field of sleep science. Bob tells us about the early days of sleep research and how he and other scientists struggled to convince the world that sleep really is important for memory.   He also talks about methodological subtleties to investigate the role of sleep on cognitive functions, the purpose of dreaming, and offline default mode processing in general, and what he sees as the most interesting future research directions of sleep.Produced by:  Eniko SimoSee Professor Stickgold's faculty profile here.  His new book 'When Brains Dream' is here.If you'd like to read more about the topics Professor Stickgold mentioned you can find some of his related publications here:1) Karni and Sagi's 1994 Science paper on how sleep boosts visual discrimination2) Bob Stickgold's 2000 Nature Neuroscience paper on sleep and the visual discrimination task3) Matt Walker's 2000 Neuron paper on how sleep boosts performance on the finger tapping task4) a sample of Erin Wamsley's work on dreams5) a 2000 review, in Science, of Bob's early thoughts on sleep, memory, and dreams.Glossary:p-value = a statistical measure to test if the findings of an experiment are significant. 0.01 means a robust paradigm. This recording is property of the sleep science podcast and not for resaleCheck out our NaPS website to find out more about the podcast, our research and events. This recording is the property of the Sleep Science Podcast and not for resale.