Brave New World (of sleep research!)

If you've ever read Brave New World (and I sincerely hope that you have), then you probably remember the strange hypnopaedic training used to keep people thinking as the World State wants them to. Basically, the State trains citizens from childhood by using softly spoken mantras played in their sleep.  These constantly repeated ideas are designed to keep them from rising above their prescribed station in life by cuing them to how they should think. When I first heard of this idea, I thought it interesting but outlandish. I'm not so sure about that anymore.

You see, the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Northwestern University has recently delved into a research vein similar to Huxley's idea. In a very easy-to-understand paper,  members of my lab tested whether sounds played at night can actually help with memory the next day.

The paradigm went like this- participants learned where 50 objects were located on the screen and each object was paired with a matching unique sound. So they would learn the tea kettle is in the upper right corner and that a kettle whistle is associated with that picture. Next, participants took a nap and during the deep sleep stage, half of the sounds they heard were replayed to them (without waking them up). When they woke up, they were tested on how well they could remember where the objects belonged. Results showed that participants remembered more of the objects that were cued while they were asleep, and were better at closely matching where those images went on the screen. Basically, it seems like playing the sounds reactivated the memory traces during sleep and helped consolidate them to make a stronger memory!

And this research doesn't just extend to visuospatial learning. Another member of my lab showed that participants can better learn to play a keyboard to produce a melody that's been cued during sleep rather than one that hasn't. So it appears this memory reactivation is multimodal, even when we sleep.

I cannot tell you how fascinating I find this research. Currently, I'm working on a project regarding implicit memory but I'm dying to get my toes wet in some sleep-memory research. I just haven't found the right research question yet.

Let me know if these projects bring any questions/ponderings to mind!

Short Update

I know I'm in the habit of having long breaks between posts and I'm trying to break that habit. So while this is a short post, I just wanted to make sure I'm keeping friends and family abreast of my life.

My first day outfit was an EEG dress and neuron jewelry

Speaking of which, I can now officially claim to be a graduate student! Yesterday was my first day at Northwestern University as a first year student. It still really hasn't hit me that I'm actually on my way to earning a PhD within the next 5 years. Sure that's quite a long time, but I couldn't be more thrilled to be on this journey.

Only a day into school and she's anxious to be an over-worked grad student? Yeah, I'm weird that way. I also prefer more structure to my schedule so I'm hoping to settle into a more full routine while still keeping some "me time." That's not to say I don't experience any anxiety. I know I've only just begun, but I'm chomping at the bit to have something to work on. I'm a bit of a work-a-holic and not having a current project makes me feel too lazy for comfort. I'm sure you're shaking your head.

I will do my best to post more often and will hopefully have some interesting fodder in the form of lectures and articles I will soon be devouring.

PhD- Here I come!

Just the lovely gals I traveled the SW with.

To be honest, I've had several ideas of new posts I should write. I still want to spend some time discussing my senior thesis! The reason none of these ideas have come to fruition is because I have been constantly traveling for the entirety of my spring semester. I had three graduate school weekend visits with Northwestern, WashU in St. Louis, and University of Arizona. I also took a week-long cross country adventure over spring break with some of the best people I know. All this, plus my constant focus on my thesis, hasn't left me with much time or creative juices.

That being said, I absolutely knew I needed to post that I have finally made my grad school decision. Drum roll please! *brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr*

This fall I will be joining Ken Paller's lab at Northwestern University! I cannot tell you how tough a decision it was with such great programs to choose from, but after lots of time spent on a spreadsheet and obeying my gut feeling I knew it was the right place for me to be. I'll be continuing my passion for sleep research and perhaps exploring some new paradigms I've never worked with before. The Paller lab also works with EEG and fMRI which means I can continue to develop my experience and comprehension of imaging technologies.

Evanston, IL here I come!

Sure, it's going to be an interesting transition from Texas heat to Chicago winters but I know I'm ready for a change of pace. I'm looking forward to the grand 6-year adventure towards my PhD and officially becoming 'Dr. Witkowski.' Just watch, I'm going to become the Neil DeGrasse Tyson of cognitive neuroscience!