Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Abstract: On average, we spend one-third of our lives asleep, and we have little idea why. \nDespite the importance of sleep to overall health, sleep has been neglected for \ndecades and considered an inactive state in which the brain “turns off” to rest \nfrom daily activities. However, there is now compelling evidence that sleep plays \na pivotal role in various domains, including learning and memory, physical and \nmental wellbeing. The work described in this thesis is centred around exploring \nnon-invasive ways of manipulating sleep to enhance cognition. \nChapter 2 delves into the effects of wearing an eye mask to block out light during \nsleep and its implications for daily life. This simple and cost-effective manipulation \nresulted in enhanced reaction times and better memory encoding compared to a \ncontrol condition. Such improvements are particularly advantageous in situations \ndemanding rapid reflexes, like driving. Furthermore, the benefits can extend to \nacademic and professional spheres, leading to enhanced performance across diverse \ntasks. \nChapter 3 investigates whether sleep facilitates insight problem solving. We \nfound that offline consolidation and reorganisation of memories had a beneficial \neffect on insight, but this result was confounded by the influence of circadian \nrhythms. \nFinally, Chapter 4 explores the potential benefits of an experimental technique \ncalled targeted memory reactivation (TMR) applied during rapid eye movement \n(REM) sleep for arousal processing. Our manipulation resulted in a reduction of \nemotional reactivity, as demonstrated by objective measurements of arousal. Notably, \nthe effect of cueing on subjective arousal responses was tied to participants’baseline arousal levels. \nIn conclusion, this thesis provides valuable insights into the importance of sleep in \nenhancing cognitive functions and sheds light on non-invasive interventions whose \nimplications extend far beyond the laboratory and into everyday life.
Author: Greco, Viviana
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7047098390