Consistent empirical results showed that both night and day sleep enhanced memory consolidation. Inthis study we explore processes of consolidation of memory during awake hours. Since theta oscillationshave been shown to play a central role in exchange of information, we hypothesized that elevated thetaduring awake hours will enhance memory consolidation.We used a neurofeedback protocol, to enhance the relative power of theta or beta oscillations. Participants trained on a tapping task, were divided into three groups: neurofeedback theta; neurofeedbackbeta; control. We found a significant improvement in performance in the theta group, relative to the betaand control groups, immediately after neurofeedback. Performance was further improved after nightsleep in all groups, with a significant advantage favoring the theta group. Theta power during training was correlated with the level of improvement, indicating a clear relationship between memory consolidation,and theta neurofeedback.
