Project Details
Projekt
HIITing the sleeping brain: Investigating the impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on sleep-dependent memory consolidation
Subject Area
Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience
Term
since 2023
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 519908406
Sleep plays a pivotal role in human long-term memory formation. NREM2 sleep as well as characteristic electrophysiological phenomena (sleep spindles, slow oscillations) are of particular importance for the consolidation of procedural memories. Acute exercise can affect memory-relevant phenomena of a subsequent sleep phase, and has also been shown to enhance memory consolidation. The independent effects of exercise and sleep on procedural memory consolidation are well established, but little is known about possible interactions. Therefore, the present project aims to investigate synergistic effects of training and sleep on the consolidation of a procedural memory task (finger sequence tapping task). In a mixed within-between design, young adults will be tested under four experimental conditions: (1) exercise+sleep, (2) exercise+wake, (3) rest+sleep, (4) rest+wake. In the exercise condition, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is performed on a cycle ergometer immediately after memory encoding; in the rest condition, subjects watch a documentary film after encoding. In the sleep condition, subjects practice the memory task in the evening (9PM), and recall is tested the next morning (9AM). In the wake condition, subjects practice the task in the morning (9AM) and recall is tested in the evening (9PM). Using polysomnography, changes in memory-relevant sleep phenomena (including NREM2 sleep and sleep spindles) are assessed and correlations with memory consolidation are investigated. Possible moderating effects of thermoregulatory and autonomic mechanisms as a result of HIIT will be explored using various physiological parameters (including body temperature, heart rate variability, cortisol).
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Austria, Canada
Co-Investigator
Professorin Dr. Beate Ditzen
Cooperation Partners
Professorin Dr. Kerstin Hödlmoser; Professor Dr. Marc Roig
