Celebrating the start of construction of the new Teaching and Learning Building

Identical brain mechanisms are responsible for triggering memory in both sleep and wakefulness, new research at the University of Birmingham has shown. The study sheds new light on the processes used by the brain to 'reactivate' memories during sleep, consolidating them so they can be retrieved later. Although the importance of sleep in stabilising memories is a well-established concept, the neural mechanisms underlying this are still poorly understood. In this study, published in Cell Reports , scientists have been able to show for the first time in humans that distinctive neural patterns in the brain which are triggered when remembering specific memories while awake, reappear during subsequent sleep. The findings provide further evidence of the beneficial effects of sleep on memory formation. Gaining a more sophisticated understanding of these mechanisms also enhances our understanding of how memories are formed. This could ultimately help scientists unravel the foundations of memory disorders such as Alzheimer's and lead to the development of memory boosting interventions.