Sleep & targeted memory reactivation (TMR)

11 papers

Evidence base for sleep & targeted memory reactivation (tmr) — every paper below is DOI-verified so you can trace any claim back to its source.

How to apply

The corpus is overwhelmingly about lab TMR: pairing material with an odor or sound at encoding, then re-playing that cue during monitored, often closed-loop sleep. A learner reading /postgres cannot run this. So the aids deliberately draw only on the naturalistic, actionable kernel these papers share:

Papers

Unraveling the neurophysiological correlates of phase-specific enhancement of motor memory consolidation via slow-wave closed-loop targeted memory reactivation
Judith Nicolas, Bradley R. King, David Lévesque, Latifa Lazzouni, Gaëlle Leroux, David Wang, Nir Grossman, Stephan P. Swinnen, Julien Doyon, Julie Carrier, Geneviève Albouy — 2025 (Nature Communications)
2025DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57602-2
An update on recent advances in targeted memory reactivation during sleep
Julia Carbone, Susanne Diekelmann — 2024 (npj Science of Learning 9)
2024DOI: 10.1038/s41539-024-00244-8
Influencing dreams through sensory stimulation: A systematic review
Leila Salvesen, Elena Capriglia, Martin Dresler, Giulio Bernardi — 2024 (Sleep Medicine Reviews 74:101908)
2024DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2024.101908
Targeted memory reactivation during NREM sleep enhances neutral, but not negative, components of memory
Dan Denis, Jessica D. Payne — 2024 (eNeuro 11:5)
2024DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0285-23.2024
Targeted memory reactivation during sleep improves emotional memory modulation following imagery rescripting
Dominique Recher, Judith Rohde, Giulia Da Poian, Mirka Henninger, Luzius Brogli, Reto Huber, Walter Karlen, Caroline Lustenberger, Birgit Kleim — 2024 (Translational Psychiatry 14:490)
2024DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-03192-4
Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation
Mahmoud E. A. Abdellahi, Anne C. M. Koopman, Matthias S. Treder, Penelope A. Lewis — 2023 (eLife 12)
2023DOI: 10.7554/eLife.84324
The effects of sleep and targeted memory reactivation on the consolidation of relevant and irrelevant information
Christine Barner, Ann-Sophie Werner, Sandra Schörk, Jan Born, Susanne Diekelmann — 2023 (Frontiers in Sleep)
2023DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2023.1187170
Promoting memory consolidation during sleep: A meta-analysis of targeted memory reactivation
Hu X., Cheng L. Y., Chiu M. H., Paller K. A. — **Year:** 2020
2020DOI: 10.1037/bul0000223
About Sleep's Role in Memory
Rasch B., Born J. — **Year:** 2013
2013DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00032.2012
The memory function of sleep
Diekelmann S., Born J. — **Year:** 2010
2010DOI: 10.1038/nrn2762
Strengthening Individual Memories by Reactivating Them During Sleep
Rudoy J. D., Voss J. L., Westerberg C. E., Paller K. A. — **Year:** 2009
2009DOI: 10.1126/science.1179013

Audio companion script

This technique is called sleep and memory. Reach for it when you want to review before sleep so consolidation locks the memory in. The idea is simple. You build a steady habit and let it do the work over time. It is backed by eleven peer reviewed studies, so the advice rests on real evidence. Try it on your own material this week and notice how much more sticks.