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In this randomized, single-blind, crossover study of 20 healthy young adults (25\u2009\u00b1\u20094\u00a0years, 75 per cent female), we investigated whether one night of closed-loop acoustic stimulation of sleep slow waves during non-rapid eye movement sleep stages 2 and 3 enhanced memory retention at a paired word-associates task by modulating these neural and autonomic processes, compared to a sham condition. We found that memory enhancement was associated with two tightly coupled mechanisms: increased spindle nesting with SOs (0.5\u20131.5\u00a0Hz) relative to delta waves (\u03b4, &amp;gt;1.5\u20134\u00a0Hz), and elevated parasympathetic activity measured by heart rate variability during SWS. Critically, the SO\/\u03b4-spindle nesting ratio, not absolute SO-spindle nesting, predicted memory performance, suggesting that an optimized relative balance between SO and \u03b4 wave influences on spindle activity drives consolidation. Both the SO\/\u03b4-spindle nesting ratio and parasympathetic activity predicted memory retention and were strongly correlated, pointing to a potential mechanistic link. Findings suggest that acoustic stimulation may enhance memory consolidation by optimizing the coordination between sleep oscillatory networks and autonomic activity.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/sleep\/zsag246","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T11:47:40Z","timestamp":1789127260000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Acoustic enhancement of slow wave sleep improves memory retention by coordinating brain oscillatory rhythms and autonomic activity"],"prefix":"10.1093","author":[{"given":"Daniela","family":"Grimaldi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine , , Chicago, IL ,","place":["United States"]},{"name":"Northwestern University , , Chicago, IL ,","place":["United 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