Tech Interventions To Facilitate Sleep's Functional Effects

[EnolaGaia]

I didn't find an obviously relevant thread for this topic and this angle or spin, so I'm starting a new one.

We know from childhood that sleep functions to allow us physical rest in the service of (e.g.) overcoming fatigue, healing, etc.

In recent decades sleep researchers have reasonably demonstrated this mysterious phase of daily existence also serves as the down time during which we collate, integrate, and / or 'store' memories from our most recent experience. In some circles, this memory housekeeping functionality has come to be viewed as sleep's most critical purpose.

This recent research (below) is the first I've seen that's aiming to advance toward actively intervening in sleep to foster this memory function.

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DARPA Wants to Zap Your Brain to Boost Your Memory
We may go to sleep at night, but our brains don't. Instead, they spend those quiet hours tidying up, and one of their chores is to lug memories into long-term storage boxes.

Now, a group of scientists may have found a way to give that memory-storing process a boost, by delivering precisely timed electric zaps to the brain at the exact right moments of sleep. These zaps, the researchers found, can improve memory.

And to make matters even more interesting, the team of researchers was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. agency tasked with developing technology for the military. They reported their findings July 23 in The Journal of Neuroscience.

If the findings are confirmed with additional research, the brain zaps could one day be used to help students study for a big exam, assist people at work or even treat patients with memory impairments, including those who experienced a traumatic brain injury in the military, said senior study author Praveen Pilly, a senior scientist at HRL Laboratories, a research facility focused on advancing technology. ...

FULL STORY (with details of the study):
https://www.livescience.com/63329-darpa-brain-zapping-memory.html

 

[kamalktk]

Coffee!