Hypothesis Open Access

Sleep-Dependent Neural Reorganization as a Mechanism for Adaptive Memory Consolidation: A Hypothetical Neurocomputational Framework

Abstract

Memory consolidation is a fundamental neurocognitive process through which newly encoded, labile memory traces are gradually transformed into stable long-term representations. Although extensive research has identified the hippocampus and neocortex as central structures involved in this transformation, the precise computational and temporal mechanisms remain incompletely understood. This article proposes a hypothesis that memory consolidation is an adaptive, sleep-dependent optimization process driven by iterative hippocampal-neocortical reactivation. We suggest that consolidation does not merely stabilize memory but actively restructures it to enhance generalization, predictive accuracy, and cognitive efficiency. The framework integrates principles from systems neuroscience, synaptic plasticity, and computational modeling to argue that memory consolidation functions as an offline learning algorithm similar to reinforcement learning systems. This perspective provides a unified explanation for memory strengthening, forgetting, schema formation, and abstraction.

Sophia L. Reinhardt

To read the full article Download Full Article