The Big Picture
For many, sleep seems like a waste of time only meant to alleviate exhaustion in preparation for the next day. But new research has shown that sleep is an ideal time for memory consolidation- the process of storing memories in such a way that you can remember and make use of them the next day. My specific research interests lie in how our memories change during this sleep process. I’m investigating why some memories lose specificity and become more generalized schemas while other memories maintain high fidelity representations. In other words, sometimes it’s useful to just remember general patterns while other times it’s better to recall every detail of an event. How does our brain decide how to store a memory and can we influence that process during sleep?
Sleep and Memory Reactivation (Targeted MEmory Reactivation)
What is happening in our brain during sleep? Researchers know that sleep helps maintain and strengthen memories, but the process still isn’t well understood. My research focused on how memories are consolidated during sleep and how we can influence the process. We use a method in which people learn some information, like spatial locations, that are associated with sounds. Participants then take a nap in lab and we play those sounds during their sleep while recording electrical signals from their brains. Our research shows this cueing actually strengthens the memory for later recall.
Sleep Restriction and Attention
During my undergraduate education at the University of Texas Austin, I joined Dr. David Schnyer’s Learning and Memory Lab. While there, I completed a longitudinal study of chronic sleep restriction (think getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night) and its effect on cognition. Essentially, we found that small but consistent decreases in sleep over a semester (~15 weeks) leads to significantly decreased attention that’s reflected in changes in electrical brain signals (EEG).
To read the published research click here.
Lucid Dreaming
Lucid dreaming is when you’re in a dream and know you’re in a dream. You often have control over characters in your dream and sometimes you can even give yourself abilities like flying or breathing underwater. I investigated whether we can train people to reach this state, and even more exciting- worked on a project where we communicated with dreamers while they remained asleep!
Publications
Konkoly K, Appel K, Chabani E, Mironov AY, Mangiaruga A, Gott J, Mallett R, Caughran B, Witkowski S, et al. Real-time dialogue between experimenters and dreamers during REM sleep. (2021).
Witkowski S, et al. Examining sleep’s role in memory generalization and specificity through the lens of targeted memory reactivation. Current Opinions in Behavioral Sciences (2020).
Schechtman E, Witkowski S, et al. Targeted memory reactivation during sleep boosts intentional forgetting of spatial locations. Scientific Reports (2020).
Symonds RM, Lee WW, Kohn A, Schwartz O, Witkowski S, Sussman ES. Distinguishing neural adaptation and predictive coding hypotheses in auditory change detection. Brain Topography (2017).
Witkowski S, et al. An examination of the association between chronic sleep restriction and electrocortical arousal in college students. Clinical Neurophysiology (2015).