ePoster

The role of sleep in the abstraction of spatial context memory in toddlers

Lisa-Marie Bastian, Eva-Maria Kurz, Hannes Noack, Jan Born
FENS Forum 2024(2024)
Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Conference

FENS Forum 2024

Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Center, Vienna, Austria

Resources

Authors & Affiliations

Lisa-Marie Bastian, Eva-Maria Kurz, Hannes Noack, Jan Born

Abstract

Children are able to form episodic memories from an early age, which are consolidated during sleep. However, the emergence of the ability to form more abstract, semantic memories and the role of sleep in this process remain uncertain. In the present study, we investigated how sleep influences the formation of abstract spatial context representations in toddlers aged 2-3 years. Utilizing a within-subject naturalistic design, participants (N = 35) were familiarized with two different spatial contexts. After familiarization, the toddlers either took a nap (approximately 90 minutes) or stayed awake. Subsequently, they repeatedly performed a hide-and-seek task in which a puppet was hidden in each context. We hypothesize that sleep aids in the consolidation of spatial context memory. Thus, after sleep, in contrast to wakefulness, toddlers would be better at finding the puppets, having formed abstract spatial representations of the two contexts. Task performance is expected to be positively associated with non-REM sleep parameters and may likely be affected by age. This study illuminates the role of sleep in spatial information abstraction by examining whether such semantic representations can enhance episodic memory performance in toddlers.

Unique ID: fens-24/role-sleep-abstraction-spatial-context-9e188e54