The effect of dream report collection and dream incorporation on memory consolidation during sleep
Sarah F. Schoch, Maren J. Cordi, Michael Schredl, Bjöern Rasch
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractWaking participants up to collect dream reports is a common method in dream research, but its effect on memory consolidation was unclear. In 22 healthy young adults, a night with up to six awakenings impaired both subjective and objective sleep quality compared to a night without awakenings, yet did not impair ongoing memory consolidation of a word-picture association task. The learning task was successfully incorporated into dreams collected via awakenings during the night, but not into dreams collected only in the morning. Task incorporation into NREM sleep dreams, but not REM sleep dreams, was related to better task performance the next morning, suggesting NREM dreams may be linked to memory consolidation processes.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Within-subjects experimental design with two conditions (awakenings vs. no awakenings) |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Young and healthy participants |
| Duration | One night per condition |
| Key finding | Awakenings to collect dream reports did not impair memory consolidation, and task incorporation into NREM dreams was associated with better next-morning task performance. |
Abstract
Abstract Waking up during the night to collect dream reports is a commonly used method to study dreams. This method has also been applied in studies on the relationship between dreams and memory consolidation. However, it is unclear if these awakenings influence ongoing memory consolidation processes. Furthermore, only few studies have examined if task incorporation into dreams is related to enhanced performance in the task. Here we compare memory performance in a word-picture association learning task after a night with (up to six awakenings) and without awakenings in 22 young and healthy participants. We then examine if the task is successfully incorporated into the dreams and if this incorporation is related to the task performance the next morning. We show that while the awakenings impair both subjective and objective sleep quality, these awakenings did not impair ongoing memory consolidation during sleep. When dreams were collected during the night by awakenings, memories of the learning task were successfully incorporated into dreams. No incorporation occurred in dreams collected only in the morning. Task incorporation into NREM sleep dreams, but not REM sleep dreams showed a relationship with task performance the next morning. We conclude that the method of awakenings to collect dream reports is suitable for dream and memory studies, and is even crucial to uncover task incorporations. Furthermore, our study suggests that dreams in NREM rather than REM sleep might be related to processes of memory consolidation during sleep.