binaural sleep collective horizontal oscillation

The new study targeted older individuals - who have much more to gain memory-wise from enhanced deep sleep - and used a novel sound system that increased the effectiveness of the sound stimulation in older populations. But it has not been tested in older adults. Previous research showed acoustic simulation played during deep sleep could improve memory consolidation in young people. The degree of slow wave sleep enhancement was related to the degree of memory improvement, suggesting slow wave sleep remains important for memory, even in old age.Īlthough the Northwestern scientists have not yet studied the effect of repeated nights of stimulation, this method could be a viable intervention for longer-term use in the home, Zee said. The older adults were recruited from the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern. Note: Video advertisements are sponsored by the publisher and have no connection to Northwestern University. However, the average improvement was three times larger after pink-noise stimulation. Recall ability after the sham stimulation generally improved on the morning test by a few percent. For both the sham and acoustic stimulation sessions, the individuals took a memory test at night and again the next morning. The sham stimulation procedure was identical to the acoustic one, but participants did not hear any noise during sleep. In the study, 13 participants 60 and older received one night of acoustic stimulation and one night of sham stimulation. The study was published March 8 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. “This is a potential tool for enhancing memory in older populations and attenuating normal age-related memory decline.” Phyllis Zee, professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine sleep specialist. “This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health,” said senior author Dr. The sound stimulation significantly enhanced deep sleep in participants and their scores on a memory test. But beginning in middle age, deep sleep decreases substantially, which scientists believe contributes to memory loss in aging. CHICAGO - Gentle sound stimulation - such as the rush of a waterfall - synchronized to the rhythm of brain waves significantly enhanced deep sleep in older adults and improved their ability to recall words, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.ĭeep sleep is critical for memory consolidation.

Binaural sleep collective horizontal oscillation