Part 8/10:
The application of UMAP revealed a fascinating correspondence between the rats' location in the maze and the neural activity observed. As the animals improved at the task, their neural patterns evolved systematically, creating identifiable trajectories within the neural manifold.
Using this, the researchers could decode the firing patterns during both awake and sleep ripples. They found that awake ripples captured memories relevant to the immediate past, corresponding to successful paths taken to obtain rewards. In contrast, during sleep, ripples also demonstrated signs of reactivating these significant experiences, underscoring the continuity of memory processing from wakefulness into sleep.