Abstract:

The default mode network (DMN) is a brain structure persisting activity during the resting state. As resting state has been demonstrated with function of memory consolidation and sub-regions of DMN, the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex, are the key regions of memory consolidation, we hypothesize that the DMN is the core structure of sleep-dependent memory consolidation. With the high resolution in temporal and spatial domain of simultaneous EEG-fMRI, we will study the neural mechanisms of the DMN-involved memory consolidation, which includes: 1) describing the dynamic process of memory consolidation based on the EEG source localization and cross-frequency coupling analysis; 2) distinguishing the functional connectivity of DMN during resting and sleep states based on the sliding time-window and module analysis to reveal the basic principles of memory enhancement within the iteration of day and night; 3) revealing the influences of types of memory and sleep stages in memory consolidation by multimodel fusion. This project will not only develop new techniques for dynamic analysis of brain function, but it also has profound theory significance to elucidate the neural mechanisms of memory consolidation. Moreover it may ultimately provide new ideas for the treatment of the learning and memory related disorders.

Key words: simultaneous EEG-fMRI, brain networks, memory consolidation, sleep