Auditory Stimulation Effects on Sleep and Memory in Patients With Epilepsy

Effects of Auditory Stimulation on Coordinated Non-REM Sleep Oscillations and Memory in Epilepsy Inpatients With Implanted Hippocampal Electrodes

This study will investigate the role of coordinated brain rhythms during sleep in memory consolidation and determine whether playing precisely timed brief bursts of noise can enhance these rhythms and improve memory in epilepsy inpatients with implanted hippocampal electrodes.

The investigators will test the hypotheses that coordinated brain rhythms during nonrapid eye movement sleep are associated with memory consolidation and can be enhanced with auditory stimulation (playing precisely timed brief bursts of quiet noise) to improve memory. The investigators will measure differences in sleep and memory performance in epilepsy inpatients with implanted hippocampal electrodes and continuous full scalp EEG monitoring under three overnight sleep conditions: a baseline night; a memory night during which sleep-dependent memory consolidation is assessed with the finger tapping motor sequence task (MST) with training prior to sleep and testing the next morning; and a stimulation night during which participants train on the MST, have precisely timed auditory stimulation during the sleep that follows, and are tested on the MST in the morning.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inpatients with epilepsy
• Aged 12-65
• Undergoing clinically indicated continuous scalp and intracranial EEG monitoring with implanted hippocampal electrodes
• Fluent in English
• Able to give informed consent/assent (for minors aged 12-17 or adults with an appointed guardian)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Intellectual disability impairing ability to perform task
• Motor problems that preclude finger tapping task
• Previous surgery anticipated to disrupt coordination of sleep oscillations in the circuitry of interest