"New directions in sleep and memory processing: the role of the autonomic nervous system"

Sleep is intimately related to memory processes. The established view is that the transformation of experiences into long-term memories is linked to sleep-related central nervous system processes. However, there is increasing evidence that the autonomic nervous system (ANS), long recognized to modulate cognition during waking, can impact memory processing during sleep. In this talk, I will review data extending the role of ANS activity beyond waking and into sleep and will consider how the link between ANS activity and polysomnographic markers of sleep may elucidate both healthy and pathological cognitive aging.