Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42658809›Full record

ArticlePLoS biology2026

Theta oscillations tag episodic memories for sleep-dependent consolidation.

Dan Denis, Zhiyi Chen, Manroop Kaur, Benjamin Clayden, Thomas Schreiner, Scott A Cairney

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLoS biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Dan DenisDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3740-7587
Zhiyi ChenDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Manroop KaurDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Benjamin ClaydenDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
Thomas SchreinerDepartment of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany.
Scott A CairneyDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

How does the brain select which experiences to consolidate into long-term memory? Numerous neurobiological frameworks suggest that certain memories are "tagged" at learning for consolidation during later sleep. However, experimental evidence of such a tagging mechanism in the human brain is lacking. Employing multivariate classification of human electroencephalography data, we reliably decoded brain states for episodic memories that are tagged at learning for consolidation across sleep or wakefulness. The tagging of memories for consolidation across sleep (but not wakefulness) was linked to 3-8 Hz theta rhythms during learning. The magnitude of this tagging-related theta response predicted the coupling of slow oscillations to sleep spindles during post-learning sleep (an established neural correlate of sleep-dependent memory processing). In turn, slow oscillation-spindle coupling was associated with better memory performance at the post-sleep test. These findings provide new insights into the neural mechanisms through which our brains determine which information is retained for the future.

Indexed as

Memory ConsolidationMemory, EpisodicSleepTheta RhythmAdultBrainElectroencephalographyFemaleHumansLearningMaleWakefulnessYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID42658809
PMCPMC13521381

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.