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Role of sleep in creativity and problem solving

Research Project

Project/Area Number 19K16892
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Review Section Basic Section 51020:Cognitive and brain science-related
Research InstitutionUniversity of Toyama

Principal Investigator

Abdou Kareem  富山大学, 学術研究部医学系, 助教 (00833609)

Project Period (FY) 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000)
KeywordsInference / Sleep / Creativity / Co-replay
Outline of Research at the Start

The reactivation of memory traces during sleep can inspire creativity. Creativity and problem solving are necessary for better quality of life. However, it is unknown how the brain creates new ideas or solve problems during sleep. We hypothesize that while we sleep, our subconscious minds continue to work on problems our conscious minds have failed to solve. We will use transitive inference paradigm, combined with live Ca2+ imaging and optogenetic manipulation of neuronal ensembles. This study will open new horizon in the physiological role of sleep in creativity and problem solving.

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We developed a transitive inference paradigm in mice that assesses the ability to infer new information that was not learned before, based on previous knowledge of overlapping memories. Sleep deprivation (SD) blocked the inference.
We manipulated the activity of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM)sleep. Optogenetic inhibition of the ACC during wakefulness did not affect inference evolution, as mice achieved high correct performance during inference tests. Conversely, mice that received optogenetic inhibition of the ACC during either NREM or REM sleep failed to infer correctly. Artificial activation of the medial entorhinal cortex neuronal terminals in ACC during REM, but not NREM, sleep resulted in correct inferential behavior.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Our study demonstrate a novel mechanism for creating novel ideas during sleep, which may open new horizon in the sleep research.
Our findings may help in the development of novel approaches to boost cognitive performance of normal and diseased subjects.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2021 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2020 Research-status Report
  • 2019 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (3 results)

All 2021 2020

All Journal Article (1 results) (of which Open Access: 1 results) Presentation (2 results)

  • [Journal Article] Inspiring cognitive inference in a cortical network during REM sleep2021

    • Author(s)
      Kareem Abdou, Kiriko Choko, Mohamed H. Aly, Reiko Okubo-Suzuki, Shin-ichi Muramatsu, Kaoru Inokuchi
    • Journal Title

      bioRxiv

      Volume: -

    • DOI

      10.1101/2021.04.08.439095

    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Open Access
  • [Presentation] Engineering cognitive inference in cortical network during REM sleep2021

    • Author(s)
      Kareem Abdou, Kiriko Choko, Mohamed H.Aly, Masanori Nomoto, Khaled Ghandour, Reiko Okubo Suzuki, Kaoru Inokuchi
    • Organizer
      The 44th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society
    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Dissociable roles of sleep stages in the emergence and consolidation of transitive inference2020

    • Author(s)
      Kareem Abdou, Kiriko Choko, Mohamed H.Aly, Reiko Okubo Suzuki, Kaoru Inokuchi
    • Organizer
      The 43rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society
    • Related Report
      2020 Research-status Report 2019 Research-status Report

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Published: 2019-04-18   Modified: 2023-01-30  

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