Memory reactivation of real-world spatial orientation revealed by human electrophysiology

Abstract Memory consolidation relies on the reactivation of previous experiences during sleep. The precise interplay of sleep-related oscillations (slow oscillations, spindles and ripples) is thought to coordinate the information flow between relevant brain areas, with ripples mediating memory reactivation. However, in humans empirical evidence for a role of ripples in memory reactivation is lacking. Here, we investigated the relevance of sleep oscillations and specifically ripples for memory reactivation during human sleep using targeted memory reactivation (TMR). Intracranial electrophysiology in epilepsy patients and scalp EEG in healthy participants revealed that elevated levels of SO-spindle activity promoted the read-out of TMR induced memory reactivation. Importantly, spindle-locked ripples recorded intracranially from the medial temporal lobe were found to be instrumental for memory reactivation to unfold during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Our findings establish ripples as key-oscillation in human systems consolidation and emphasize the importance of the coordinated interplay of the cardinal sleep oscillations.