Memory Optimisation

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101028886

An essential function of the brain is to selectively retain important information. Being able to select which information to remember and which information to forget allows for the flexible updating of behavioural goals.

For memories to be successfully retrieved over long periods of tine, they need to undergo a period consolidation, whereby memories are strengthened and integrated into long-term storage. Sleep plays a critical role in this strengthening process. How the brain selects which memories undergo consolidation during sleep remains unknown.

The overarching aim of this project is to advance our understanding of long-term memory, by determining the neural mechanisms by which the brain selects and then strengthens certain memories during sleep.

Project aims

Determine the brain processes at initial memory formation that predict which memories are subsequently strengthened by sleep
Identify the brain processes during sleep that mediate selective memory consolidation
Test whether sleep significantly strengthens memory retrieval networks based on what was initially prioritised to be consolidated
Ascertain whether the fate of memories is fixed after initial selection, or whether this trajectory can be externally altered

People

The principal investigator is Dr. Dan Denis, a Senior Research Fellow based in the Department of Psychology, University of York. The project is supervised by Dr. Scott Cairney, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of York.

Place

The project is hosted in the Department of Psychology, University of York, United Kingdom

Publications

Preprints

Denis, D., Chen, Z., Kaur, M., Clayden, B., Schreiner, T., and Cairney, S.A. (2025). Theta oscillations dictate the evolution of memories across periods of sleep or wakefulness. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.25.634851

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Denis, D., and Cairney, S.A. (2024). Electrophysiological mechanisms of memory consolidation in human non-rapid eye movement sleep. Current Sleep Medicine Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40675-024-00291-y

Denis, D., and Cairney, S.A. (2023). Neural reactivation during human sleep. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences. 7 (5). 487-498. https://doi.org/10.1042/ETLS20230109