Music cue during slow wave sleep improves visuospatial memory consolidation

The active system consolidation theory assumes that sleep between encoding and retrieval promotes memory consolidation. In the present study, we cued new memories during slow-wave (SWS) or rapid eye movements (REM) sleep stages by presenting an instrumental music stimuli that had been previously presented during a learning session. In a within-subjects design, 18 participants slept for three nonconsecutive nights (cue during SWS, cue during REM, and no cue during control night) and were trained in a visuo-spatial memory task. The administration of cue during SWS produced better memory accuracy in comparison with REM and the control condition.