Revealing the Role of Postnatal Theta Rhythm in Establishing Memory Consolidation Mechanism during REM Sleep

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06419
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46030:Function of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: Kumar Deependra 筑波大学, 国際統合睡眠医科学研究機構, 助教 (20747696)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 船戸 弘正 筑波大学, 国際統合睡眠医科学研究機構, 客員教授 (90363118)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: Sleep / Memory / Theta rhythm / Dreamless

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We found that learning and memory are sensitive to age in developing mice. Mice pups at the age of postnatal day 26 (P26) showed a significant increase in freezing behavior during fear conditioning and recall (24 h delay) compared to P17. Dreamless mice that exhibit low strength theta rhythm and less time in REM sleep did not display such age-dependent enhancement of learning and memory (unpublished results). We developed techniques to measure sleep parameters (EEG/EMG) and deep brain local field potentials (LFP) in neonatal mouse pups aged starting P17. We confirmed no effect of surgery on the growth and development of pups.

Free Research Field

sleep memory

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Our results suggest that in neonatal mice, theta oscillations integrate various brain regions for fear learning and memory. Our established EEG/EMG/LFP recording method can be used to study mice models for developmental disorders in children.