Sleep facilitates memory consolidation through offline reactivations of memory traces. Dreaming may play a role in memory improvement and may reflect these memory reactivations. To experimentally address this question, we used targeted memory reactivation (TMR), i.e., application, during sleep, of a stimulus that was previously associated with learning, to assess whether it influences task-related dream imagery (or task-dream reactivations). Specifically, we asked if TMR or task-dream reactivations in either slow-wave (SWS) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep benefit whole-body procedural learning. Healthy participants completed a virtual reality (VR) flying task prior to and following a morning nap or rest period during which task-associated tones were readministered in either SWS, REM sleep, wake or not at all. Findings indicate that learning benefits most from TMR when applied in REM sleep compared to a Control-sleep group. REM dreams that reactivated kinesthetic elements of the VR task (e.g., flying, accelerating) were also associated with higher improvement on the task than were dreams that reactivated visual elements (e.g., landscapes) or that had no reactivations. TMR did not itself influence dream content but its effects on performance were greater when coexisting with task-dream reactivations in REM sleep. Findings may help explain the mechanistic relationships between dream and memory reactivations and may contribute to the development of sleep-based methods to optimize complex skill learning.

睡眠通过记忆痕迹的离线重新激活来促进记忆巩固。做梦可能在记忆改善方面发挥作用，并可能反映这些记忆重新激活。为了通过实验解决这个问题，我们使用有针对性的记忆再激活 (TMR)，即在睡眠期间应用先前与学习相关的刺激，以评估它是否影响与任务相关的梦意象（或任务-梦的再激活）。具体来说，我们询问慢波 (SWS) 或快速眼动 (REM) 睡眠中的 TMR 或任务梦重新激活是否有益于全身程序学习。健康的参与者在早睡或休息期间之前和之后完成了一项虚拟现实 (VR) 飞行任务，在此期间，在 SWS、REM 睡眠、醒来或根本不使用与任务相关的音调时。研究结果表明，与控制睡眠组相比，在 REM 睡眠中应用 TMR 对学习的益处最大。与重新激活视觉元素（例如风景）或没有重新激活的梦相比，重新激活 VR 任务的动觉元素（例如，飞行、加速）的 REM 梦也与更高的任务改进相关。TMR 本身并不影响梦的内容，但当与 REM 睡眠中的任务梦重新激活共存时，它对表现的影响更大。研究结果可能有助于解释梦和记忆重新激活之间的机制关系，并可能有助于开发基于睡眠的方法来优化复杂的技能学习。与重新激活视觉元素（例如风景）或没有重新激活的梦相比，飞行、加速）也与任务的更高改进相关。TMR 本身并不影响梦的内容，但当与 REM 睡眠中的任务梦重新激活共存时，它对表现的影响更大。研究结果可能有助于解释梦和记忆重新激活之间的机制关系，并可能有助于开发基于睡眠的方法来优化复杂的技能学习。与重新激活视觉元素（例如风景）或没有重新激活的梦相比，飞行、加速）也与任务的更高改进相关。TMR 本身并不影响梦的内容，但当与 REM 睡眠中的任务梦重新激活共存时，它对表现的影响更大。研究结果可能有助于解释梦和记忆重新激活之间的机制关系，并可能有助于开发基于睡眠的方法来优化复杂的技能学习。