Boosting Recovery During Sleep by Means of Auditory Stimulation.

Elena Krugliakova,Giulia Da Poian,Georgia Sousouri,Reto Huber,Maria Laura Ferster,Sven Leach,Walter Karlen,Sophia Snipes,Jelena Skorucak

doi:10.3389/fnins.2022.755958

Elena Krugliakova, Giulia Da Poian + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.755958

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Abstract

Sufficient recovery during sleep is the basis of physical and psychological well-being. Understanding the physiological mechanisms underlying this restorative function is essential for developing novel approaches to promote recovery during sleep. Phase-targeted auditory stimulation (PTAS) is an increasingly popular technique for boosting the key electrophysiological marker of recovery during sleep, slow-wave activity (SWA, 1–4 Hz EEG power). However, it is unknown whether PTAS induces physiological sleep. In this study, we demonstrate that, when applied during deep sleep, PTAS accelerates SWA decline across the night which is associated with an overnight improvement in attentional performance. Thus, we provide evidence that PTAS enhances physiological sleep and demonstrate under which conditions this occurs most efficiently. These findings will be important for future translation into clinical populations suffering from insufficient recovery during sleep.

Highlights

The recovery function of sleep is essential
While the circadian process depends on the time of the day and provides the ideal window for sleep, the homeostatic process depends on the duration of wake and sleep and reflects the build-up of sleep pressure during the day and dissipation of sleep pressure during sleep (Borbély et al, 1981; Dijk et al, 1990; Achermann and Borbély, 2003)
Our results suggest that Phasetargeted auditory stimulation (PTAS) enhances sleep in a physiological way, i.e., as predicted by the generally accepted concept of homeostatic sleep regulation (Achermann and Borbély, 2003)

Summary

Introduction

The recovery function of sleep is essential. In case of insufficient recovery, we are tired and suffer from well-documented cognitive impairments, such as lapses in attention and reduced vigilance. According to the two-process model of sleep regulation, sleep is regulated by a circadian and a homeostatic process. While the circadian process depends on the time of the day and provides the ideal window for sleep, the homeostatic process depends on the duration of wake and sleep and reflects the build-up of sleep pressure (i.e., sleepiness) during the day and dissipation of sleep pressure (i.e., recovery) during sleep (Borbély et al, 1981; Dijk et al, 1990; Achermann and Borbély, 2003).

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