Whole-body procedural learning benefits from targeted memory reactivation in REM sleep and task-related dreaming.
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory September 1, 2021 Claudia Picard-Deland, Tomy Aumont, Arnaud Samson-Richer et al.
Applying targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during REM sleep improves learning of a whole-body procedural task more than TMR applied during slow-wave sleep, wake, or no reactivation. Dreams that incorporate kinesthetic elements of the task, such as flying or accelerating, are associated with greater performance gains than dreams with visual elements or no task-related content. TMR does not directly alter dream content, but its performance benefits are larger when task-related dream reactivations also occur in REM sleep. These results suggest that dream imagery may reflect memory reactivation processes that support skill consolidation during sleep.