title: Negative reinforcement impairs overnight memory consolidation.
abstract: Post-learning sleep is beneficial for human memory. However, it may be that not all memories benefit equally from sleep. Here, we manipulated a spatial learning task using monetary reward and performance feedback, asking whether enhancing the salience of the task would augment overnight memory consolidation and alter its incorporation into dreaming. Contrary to our hypothesis, we found that the addition of reward impaired overnight consolidation of spatial memory. Our findings seemingly contradict prior reports that enhancing the reward value of learned information augments sleep-dependent memory processing. Given that the reward followed a negative reinforcement paradigm, consolidation may have been impaired via a stress-related mechanism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Nam D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Seicol
authors.affiliation: University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14604, USA.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fagan
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Drumm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lundt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stickgold
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA erin.wamsley@furman.edu.
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wamsley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012201:Reward; D012890:Sleep; D065853:Spatial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult