Sleep sounds may reactivate memory context — a Brain-Scanning trial puts it to the test
NCT ID NCT04702724
First seen Jul 23, 2026 · Last updated Jul 24, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study investigates whether playing sounds associated with learned images during sleep can improve memory by reactivating the context (like location or time) in which the images were learned. Healthy adults will learn image-scene associations, then nap while related sounds are played. Using fMRI and EEG, researchers will monitor brain activity to see if context is reinstated during sleep and whether it boosts recall. The goal is to better understand how sleep helps consolidate memories.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- targeted memory reactivation using sounds during sleep
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could help explain how sleep strengthens memories and may point toward techniques to improve learning or treat memory problems.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers. The findings may not apply to people with memory disorders, and the effect may be too subtle to be useful in real life.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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26 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2021
- Finished
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Jun 2022
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: \-- Exclusion Criteria: Participants with a history of neurological disorders or of sleep disorders will be excluded. Participants who do not believe they would be able to fall asleep in the lab will be excluded. Participants with a history of metalworking, an injury with shrapnel or metal slivers, a cardiac pacemaker implantation, a neuro-stimulator implantation, or claustrophobia will be excluded. Participants who are or suspect they may be pregnant will not be excluded.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Center for Translational Imaging - Northwestern University
Chicago, Illinois, 60611, United States
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