Neuromodulation via muscarinic acetylcholine pathway can facilitate distinct, complementary, and sequential roles for NREM and REM states during sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

Unlabelled: Across vertebrate species, sleep consists of repeating cycles of NREM followed by REM. However, the respective functions of NREM, REM, and their stereotypic cycling pattern are not well understood. Using a simplified biophysical network model, we show that NREM and REM sleep can play differential and critical roles in memory consolidation primarily regulated, based on state-specific changes in cholinergic signaling.