Closed-loop auditory stimulation and sleep oscillations in healthy older adults
In 16 healthy adults aged 60 and over, closed-loop auditory stimulation increased several NREM sleep oscillations without changing sleep architecture; word-pair recall did not improve at group level, but individual increases in fast spindle power were positively associated with individual overnight memory improvement. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Sixteen healthy adults aged 60 or older took part in a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled crossover study with two stimulation nights and two sham nights in a sleep laboratory. [1]
Compared with sham, stimulation increased slow oscillation, frontal theta, slow spindle and fast spindle power without altering sleep architecture, while word-pair recall did not improve at group level. [1]
Individual differences in stimulation-induced fast spindle power increases were positively associated with individual differences in overnight memory improvement. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled crossover study (abstract).
- Population / context
- Sixteen healthy older adults aged 60 or older (mean age 65.06 ± 3.53 years).
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Publication status
- Preprint · peer-review status not confirmed
- Original publication
- August 20, 2026
Stimulation versus sham nights in 16 older adults
The abstract describes a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled crossover study. Sixteen healthy older adults aged 60 or older (mean age 65.06 ± 3.53 years) spent two stimulation nights and two sham nights in a sleep laboratory. Slow oscillations (0.5–1.25 Hz), frontal theta (4–8 Hz), centrofrontal slow spindles (12–14 Hz) and centroparietal fast spindles (14–16 Hz) were compared between stimulation and sham conditions.
Supporting source [1]
More oscillation power, unchanged sleep architecture
Compared with sham, stimulation increased power of slow oscillations, frontal theta, centrofrontal slow spindles and centroparietal fast spindles across both stimulation nights. Sleep architecture was not altered. Declarative memory was measured with a word-pair recall task requiring overnight retention, and broader cognition with the Creyos battery. Word-pair recall did not improve at the group level.
Supporting source [1]
Fast spindles linked to individual memory change
Individual differences in stimulation-induced increases in fast spindle power were positively associated with individual differences in overnight memory improvement. The authors suggest fast spindles as a physiological marker of successful sleep-dependent memory consolidation and a potential target for sleep-based neuromodulation in aging. This is an association, not evidence that stimulation causes memory improvement.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The sample was small (16 healthy older adults), and the memory finding is an association between individual differences, not a group-level memory benefit or proof of causation.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Sabaghypour S, Oprea L, Powanwe AS, Moreau CN, Alfeche N, Owen AM, Kohler S, Muller LE, Batterink LJ. · europepmc.org · August 20, 2026