TY  - JOUR
AU  - Craig, Michael
AU  - Wolbers, Thomas
AU  - Strickland, Shannon
AU  - Achtzehn, Johannes
AU  - Dewar, Michaela
TI  - Rapid improvement of cognitive maps in the awake state.
JO  - Hippocampus
VL  - 29
IS  - 9
SN  - 1050-9631
CY  - New York, NY [u.a.]
PB  - Wiley
M1  - DZNE-2020-07207
SP  - 862-868
PY  - 2019
AB  - Post-navigation awake quiescence, relative to task engagement, benefits the accuracy of a new 'cognitive map'. This effect is hypothesized to reflect awake quiescence, like sleep, being conducive to the consolidation and integration of new spatial memories. Sleep has been shown to improve cognitive map accuracy over time. It remained unknown whether awake quiescence can induce similar time-related improvements in new cognitive maps, or whether it simply counteracts their decay. We examined this question via two experiments. In Experiment 1, using an established cognitive mapping paradigm, we reveal that map accuracy for a virtual town was significantly better in people whose memory was probed after 10 min of post-navigation awake quiescence or ongoing cognitive engagement, relative to those whose memory was probed shortly after initial navigation. In Experiment 2, using a newly developed cognitive mapping task that involved a more complex and real-life virtual town, we again found that map accuracy was superior in those whose memory was probed after 10 min of awake quiescence than those who were tested soon after navigation. These findings indicate that actual improvements in human memories are not restricted to sleep. Thus, contrary to conventional wisdom and theories, the passage of (day)time need not always result in forgetting.
KW  - Brain Mapping
KW  - Cognition: physiology
KW  - Female
KW  - Humans
KW  - Male
KW  - Memory: physiology
KW  - Memory Consolidation
KW  - Orientation: physiology
KW  - Sleep
KW  - Space Perception
KW  - Virtual Reality
KW  - Wakefulness
KW  - Young Adult
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:30775825
DO  - DOI:10.1002/hipo.23081
UR  - https://pub.dzne.de/record/140885
ER  -