DIY Neuroscience
Greg Gage: How sound can hack your memory while you sleep
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Can you cram for a test while you sleep? Our intrepid neuroscientists attempt to enhance memory by running experiments on subjects while they sleep. You'll be surprised by the results.
Greg Gage - Neuroscientist
TED Fellow Greg Gage helps kids investigate the neuroscience in their own backyards. Full bio
TED Fellow Greg Gage helps kids investigate the neuroscience in their own backyards. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
Greg Gage: Who wouldn't love
acing a geography exam,
acing a geography exam,
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Greg Gage: ¿A quién no le encantaría
destacarse en un examen de geografía,
destacarse en un examen de geografía,
00:14
remembering all the locations
of the countries on a map
of the countries on a map
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recordando la ubicación
de todos los países en un mapa,
de todos los países en un mapa,
00:17
or avoiding embarrassing situations
of suddenly forgetting the person's name
of suddenly forgetting the person's name
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o evitar la situación vergonzosa
de olvidar de repente
de olvidar de repente
el nombre de la persona
que tienes frente a ti?
que tienes frente a ti?
00:21
standing right in front of you.
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Resulta que la memoria,
como los otros músculos del cuerpo,
como los otros músculos del cuerpo,
00:22
It turns out that memory,
like other muscles in the body,
like other muscles in the body,
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puede fortificarse y mejorarse.
00:25
can be strengthened and enhanced.
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Pero en lugar de practicar
con tarjetas de memoria,
con tarjetas de memoria,
00:26
But instead of practicing
with flash cards,
with flash cards,
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00:29
there may be an interesting way
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puede haber una manera interesante
de alterar nuestra memoria
de alterar nuestra memoria
00:30
that we can hack our memory
while we sleep.
while we sleep.
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mientras dormimos.
00:33
(Music)
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(Música)
00:38
Why do we sleep?
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¿Por qué dormimos?
00:39
This has been a question asked
since the early days of civilization.
since the early days of civilization.
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Es una pregunta que viene desde
los albores de la civilización.
los albores de la civilización.
00:42
And while we may not know
the exact answer,
the exact answer,
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Y aunque no sepamos la respuesta exacta,
00:44
there are a number of really
good theories about why we need it.
good theories about why we need it.
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hay varias teorías muy buenas
sobre por qué necesitamos dormir.
sobre por qué necesitamos dormir.
Mientras dormimos, el cerebro
transfiere la memoria de corto plazo
transfiere la memoria de corto plazo
00:48
Sleep is when the brain transfers
short-term memories
short-term memories
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00:50
experienced throughout the day
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experimentada durante el día
a la memoria de largo plazo.
00:52
into long-term memories.
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00:53
This process is called
memory consolidation,
memory consolidation,
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El proceso se llama
la consolidación de la memoria
la consolidación de la memoria
00:55
and it's the memory consolidation theory
that has scientists wondering
that has scientists wondering
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y mediante esta teoría
los científicos se preguntan
los científicos se preguntan
si podemos realzar
unas memorias más que otras.
unas memorias más que otras.
00:58
if we can enhance
certain memories over others.
certain memories over others.
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01:01
There was a paper recently
in the journal "Science"
in the journal "Science"
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Salió un artículo hace poco
en la revista "Science"
en la revista "Science"
01:03
by Ken Paller and his colleagues
at Northwestern
at Northwestern
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de Ken Paller y sus colegas
de Northwestern
de Northwestern
que sugiere que esto pueda ser verdad.
01:05
that seemed to show that this may be true,
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Y nos despertó la curiosidad.
01:07
and that piqued our curiosity.
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Joud está haciendo
una versión casera de esta prueba
una versión casera de esta prueba
01:09
Joud has been working
on a DIY version of this task
on a DIY version of this task
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para ver si podemos mejorar la memoria
con el uso de sonidos y del sueño.
con el uso de sonidos y del sueño.
01:11
to see if we can improve memories
through the use of sound in sleep.
through the use of sound in sleep.
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01:14
So Joud, how do you test if we can
improve our memories with sleep?
improve our memories with sleep?
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Joud, ¿cómo se comprueba si se puede
mejorar la memoria con el sueño?
mejorar la memoria con el sueño?
01:18
Joud Mar’i: We need a human subject.
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Joud Mar’i: Necesitamos un sujeto humano.
01:20
[Step 1: Play a game]
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[Paso 1: Jugar a algo]
01:22
We have a memory game
that we have on an iPad,
that we have on an iPad,
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Tenemos un juego de memoria
instalado en un iPad.
instalado en un iPad.
01:25
and then we make our subject
play this game
play this game
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Y pedimos que nuestro sujeto lo juegue
01:27
and remember the images
and where they appear on the screen.
and where they appear on the screen.
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y que recuerde las imágenes
y dónde aparecen en la pantalla.
y dónde aparecen en la pantalla.
01:30
GG: So this is like a memory game
you used to play as a child,
you used to play as a child,
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GG: Es como un juego de la memoria
que se jugaba de niño.
que se jugaba de niño.
01:33
which picture was where.
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Asociamos a cada imagen
un sonido que la representa.
un sonido que la representa.
01:34
And we tie each picture
with a sound that represents it.
with a sound that represents it.
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01:37
JM: So, if you can see
a picture of a car, for example,
a picture of a car, for example,
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JM: Si ves la imagen
de un auto, por ejemplo,
de un auto, por ejemplo,
escucharás el sonido de un motor.
01:39
and you would hear the car engine.
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(Sonido de arranque de motor)
01:41
(Car engine starting)
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01:43
GG: Just before you go to sleep
we're going to test you.
we're going to test you.
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GG: Justo antes de dormir,
te haremos una prueba
te haremos una prueba
01:46
We're going to see how well
you remember where the pictures are.
you remember where the pictures are.
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para ver qué tan bien recuerdas
donde están las imágenes.
donde están las imágenes.
Cada vez que ves la imagen,
vas a oír el sonido.
vas a oír el sonido.
01:49
Every time you see the picture,
you're going to hear the sound.
you're going to hear the sound.
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Ahora, el experimento.
01:52
And now comes the experiment.
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01:54
You're going to go take a nap.
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Vas a dormir la siesta.
01:55
[Step 2: Take a nap]
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[Paso 2: Duerme la siesta]
01:58
And while you're sleeping,
we're going to be recording your EEG.
we're going to be recording your EEG.
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Y mientras duermes, grabaremos
tu electroencefalografía.
tu electroencefalografía.
02:01
JM: And then we wait for them to go
into what's called the slow-wave sleep,
into what's called the slow-wave sleep,
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JM: Esperamos hasta que entre en lo
que se llama el sueño de onda lenta,
que se llama el sueño de onda lenta,
02:05
which is the deepest phase of your sleep
where it's really hard for you to wake up.
where it's really hard for you to wake up.
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la etapa más profunda del sueño
y en la que es muy difícil despertarse.
y en la que es muy difícil despertarse.
02:08
GG: OK, pause.
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GG: Espera.
Un poco de información sobre el sueño:
02:10
So, here's some information on sleep.
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hay cuatro fases del sueño;
las fases más ligeras y REM,
las fases más ligeras y REM,
02:12
There are four stages:
we have lighter stages of sleep and REM,
we have lighter stages of sleep and REM,
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pero estamos interesados en lo que
se llama el sueño de onda lenta,
se llama el sueño de onda lenta,
02:15
but what we're interested in
is called slow-wave sleep.
is called slow-wave sleep.
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02:17
And it gets its name
from the electrical signals
from the electrical signals
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cuyo nombre viene de las señales
eléctricas llamadas ondas deltas
eléctricas llamadas ondas deltas
02:19
called Delta waves
that we record from the brain.
that we record from the brain.
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que grabamos del cerebro.
Esta es la fase del sueño
en la que los científicos creen
en la que los científicos creen
02:22
This is the part of sleep
where scientists believe
where scientists believe
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que puede ocurrir la consolidación
de la memoria.
de la memoria.
02:24
that memory consolidation can happen.
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En esta etapa de sueño profundo
vamos a hacer algo
vamos a hacer algo
02:26
In this deep period of sleep,
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02:27
we're going to do something
that you don't know we're going to do.
that you don't know we're going to do.
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que no sabes que vamos a hacer.
JM: Aquí se complica la cosa.
Empezamos a dar las pistas.
Empezamos a dar las pistas.
02:31
JM: Here's where the tricky part comes,
and we start playing our cues.
and we start playing our cues.
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[Paso 3: Tocar sonidos]
(Sonido de arranque de motor)
02:35
(Car engine starting)
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02:36
GG: Do you play all the cues?
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GG: ¿Tocas todas las pistas?
02:37
JM: No. We only want to play half of them
to see if there's a difference.
to see if there's a difference.
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JM: No. Solo tocamos la mitad de ellas,
para ver si hay una diferencia.
para ver si hay una diferencia.
02:41
GG: So your hypothesis is
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GG: Entonces, tu hipótesis es que
02:42
the one that they were listening to
while they're sleeping
while they're sleeping
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va a poder recordar mejor el sonido
que escuchaba mientras dormía.
que escuchaba mientras dormía.
02:45
they're going to do better at.
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02:47
JM: Yes, exactly.
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JM: Sí, exacto.
[Paso 4: Juega de nuevo]
02:49
GG: When you wake back up
and play the game again,
and play the game again,
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GG: Cuando te despiertas
y juegas de nuevo,
y juegas de nuevo,
02:52
do you do better or worse
than before a nap?
than before a nap?
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¿juegas mejor o peor
que antes de la siesta?
que antes de la siesta?
02:55
What we found is that if we played you
a cue during your sleep,
a cue during your sleep,
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Encontramos que si te tocamos
una pista mientras dormías
una pista mientras dormías
02:59
for example, a car --
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por ejemplo, de un auto,
03:01
You would remember
the position of that car
the position of that car
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recordarías la posición de ese auto
cuando te despertaste de nuevo.
cuando te despertaste de nuevo.
03:03
when you woke back up again.
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03:05
But if we didn't play you the cue
during the sleep,
during the sleep,
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Pero si no te tocamos la pista
mientras dormías,
mientras dormías,
por ejemplo, de una guitarra,
03:07
for example, a guitar,
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03:09
you'd be less likely to remember
that guitar when you woke up.
that guitar when you woke up.
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sería menos probable que recordaras
la guitarra cuando te despertaste.
la guitarra cuando te despertaste.
03:12
The memories that were cued
they remembered better
they remembered better
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¿Recordaron mejor las memorias
con pistas que las sin pistas,
con pistas que las sin pistas,
03:15
than the ones they weren't,
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aunque no se acuerdan haberlas escuchado?
03:16
even though they don't remember
hearing those sounds?
hearing those sounds?
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JM: Sí, exacto, les preguntamos.
03:19
JM: Yes, we ask them.
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03:20
GG: We know they're sleeping,
they can't hear it, they wake up,
they can't hear it, they wake up,
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GG: Sabes que están durmiendo,
no pueden escuchar,
no pueden escuchar,
se despiertan y recuerdan mejor
que cuando no tocas pistas.
que cuando no tocas pistas.
03:23
they do better on those
than the ones you didn't play.
than the ones you didn't play.
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GG: Es increíble. JM: Como la magia.
03:25
GG: That's amazing.
JM: It's like magic.
JM: It's like magic.
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GG: Joud condujo el experimento
con 12 personas,
con 12 personas,
03:27
GG: Joud ran this experiment on 12 people
and the results were significant.
and the results were significant.
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con resultados significativos.
No es que recuerdes las cosas mejor;
es que las olvidas menos.
es que las olvidas menos.
03:31
It's not that you remember things better;
it's that you forget them less.
it's that you forget them less.
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Era muy escéptico cuando escuché
03:34
I was a huge skeptic when I first heard
that you could do better at a memory test
that you could do better at a memory test
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que podría irte mejor
en una prueba de memoria
en una prueba de memoria
solo por tocar sonidos mientras duermes.
03:38
just by playing sounds during sleep.
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Pero replicamos estos experimentos.
03:40
But we replicated these experiments.
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Los datos y los recuerdos que recolectamos
durante el día son muy frágiles,
durante el día son muy frágiles,
03:42
The facts and memories we collect
throughout the day are very fragile,
throughout the day are very fragile,
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y se pierden y olvidan fácilmente.
03:45
and they are easily lost and forgotten.
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Pero al reactivarlos mientras dormimos,
aun sin ser conscientes de ello,
aun sin ser conscientes de ello,
03:47
But by reactivating them during sleep,
even without us being aware,
even without us being aware,
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03:50
it seems like we could make them
more stable and less prone to forgetting.
more stable and less prone to forgetting.
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parece que podríamos hacerlos más estables
y menos propensos a olvido.
y menos propensos a olvido.
Es bastante increíble.
03:54
That's pretty incredible.
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Nuestros cerebros siguen activos,
aun cuando nosotros, no.
aun cuando nosotros, no.
03:55
Our brains are still active
even when we're not.
even when we're not.
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Entonces, si eres
un poco distraído como yo,
un poco distraído como yo,
03:57
So if you're like me and a bit forgetful,
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quizás la solución sea
un par de auriculares y un sofá cómodo.
un par de auriculares y un sofá cómodo.
03:59
perhaps a solution is a pair
of headphones and a soft couch.
of headphones and a soft couch.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Greg Gage - NeuroscientistTED Fellow Greg Gage helps kids investigate the neuroscience in their own backyards.
Why you should listen
As half of Backyard Brains, neuroscientist and engineer Greg Gage builds the SpikerBox -- a small rig that helps kids understand the electrical impulses that control the nervous system. He's passionate about helping students understand (viscerally) how our brains and our neurons work, because, as he said onstage at TED2012, we still know very little about how the brain works -- and we need to start inspiring kids early to want to know more.
Before becoming a neuroscientist, Gage worked as an electrical engineer making touchscreens. As he told the Huffington Post: "Scientific equipment in general is pretty expensive, but it's silly because before [getting my PhD in neuroscience] I was an electrical engineer, and you could see that you could make it yourself. So we started as a way to have fun, to show off to our colleagues, but we were also going into classrooms around that time and we thought, wouldn't it be cool if you could bring these gadgets with us so the stuff we were doing in advanced Ph.D. programs in neuroscience, you could also do in fifth grade?" His latest pieces of gear: the Roboroach, a cockroach fitted with an electric backpack that makes it turn on command, and BYB SmartScope, a smartphone-powered microscope.
Greg Gage | Speaker | TED.com