Time, not sleep, unbinds contexts from item memory.
Contextual cues are known to benefit memory retrieval, but whether and how sleep affects this context effect remains unresolved. We manipulated contextual congruence during memory retrieval in human volunteers across 12 h and 24 h intervals beginning with either sleep or wakefulness. Our data suggest that whereas contextual cues lose their potency with time, sleep does not modulate this process. Furthermore, our results are consistent with the idea that sleep's beneficial effect on memory retention depends on the amount of waking time that has passed between encoding and sleep onset. The findings are discussed in the framework of competitive consolidation theory.
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands ; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Roy
R
Cox
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Ron R
RR
Tijdens
Department of Cognitive Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Martijn M
MM
Meeter
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands ; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Carly C G
CC
Sweegers
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands ; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Lucia M
LM
Talamini
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult