Hierarchical synchronization of sleep oscillations establishes communication pathways to support memory reactivation, transfer, and consolidation. From an information-theoretical perspective, oscillations constitute highly structured network states that provide limited information-coding capacity. Recent findings indicate that sleep oscillations occur in transient bursts that are interleaved with aperiodic network states, which were previously considered to be random noise. We argue that aperiodic activity exhibits unique and variable spatiotemporal patterns, providing an ideal information-rich neurophysiological substrate for imprinting new mnemonic patterns onto existing circuits. We discuss novel avenues in conceptualizing and quantifying aperiodic network states during sleep to further understand their relevance and interplay with sleep oscillations in support of memory consolidation.

睡眠振荡的分层同步建立了支持记忆重新激活、转移和巩固的通信路径。从信息论的角度来看，振荡构成了高度结构化的网络状态，提供有限的信息编码能力。最近的研究结果表明，睡眠振荡发生在与非周期性网络状态交织的瞬态突发中，而这些状态以前被认为是随机噪声。我们认为，非周期性活动表现出独特且可变的时空模式，为将新的助记模式印到现有电路上提供了理想的信息丰富的神经生理学基础。我们讨论了概念化和量化睡眠期间非周期性网络状态的新途径，以进一步了解它们与睡眠振荡的相关性和相互作用，以支持记忆巩固。