Sound Mind : Development of Novel Auditory Neuromodulation Methods for Enhancing Sleep
Abstract
Sleep boosts learning and memory for a variety of tasks and is essential for immune function and general health. Aging and disease are associated with altered sleep quality and architecture, and alterations in sleep can cause impairment in cognitive and memory function and can be predictive of disease symptoms (e.g., manic episodes in bipolar disorder). It has been shown that appropriately timed auditory stimuli, presented covertly during sleep, can enhance specific features of sleep dynamics and boost learning and memory performance. Surprisingly, despite the potential implications of stimulus-enhanced sleep for learning, recuperation, cognition, and disease, there has never been an attempt to identify the optimal stimulus type and timing in a principled way. To date, stimuli presented during sleep are based on the few sounds, out of a vast array of potential sounds, that others have tried. Here we propose to identify optimal auditory stimuli for enhancement of specific aspects of sleep using a paradigm that can accommodate individual differences in sleep physiology. To achieve this objective, we will employ state-of-the-art theoretical, computational, and experimental methods. We will pursue the following aims. (1) Using modeling methods in conjunction with our statistical system identification paradigm, we will identify auditory stimulation protocols that enhance target sleep dynamics. In particular, we will target (separately) spindling, slow wave sleep, slow wave-spindle coupling, and non-REM stage 2 sleep. (2) Via human experiments, we will test the protocols identified in (1) for their ability to enhance target sleep dynamics and sleep-mediated learning. (3) Using experimentation and advanced statistical signal processing, we will determine the minimal recording elements necessary to actualize optimal auditory stimulation in a real-world environment. This last aim will lay the groundwork for our long-term goal of developing portable acoustic sleep aids for use in any setting. The proposed work will move us significantly closer to the employment of auditory stimulation as a means to enhance learning and cognition and more fully realize the restorative power of sleep. Auditory stimulation paradigms could be used in healthy individuals or in individuals with diseases marked by abnormal sleep oscillations and memory impairment (e.g., schizophrenia) or by insomnia (e.g., bipolar disorder). The methods developed here could be used to create a stimulation paradigm tailored to the abnormal sleep patterns of a particular disorder. Our work could lead to a device that harnesses the power of sleep to rejuvenate and enhance cognitive function in soldiers, and could be tailored to promote sleep processes useful for the specific physical and cognitive demands of a particular mission. Such a device could also be employed to reinstate normal sleep architecture in TBI patients and to restore normal brain rhythms during REM sleep in PTSD patients, alleviating the symptoms of both disorders.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 22, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2310014
Entities
People
- Sujith Vijayan
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army