Sleep spindles enhance latent working memory representations

Working memory (WM) allows recently encountered information to be maintained over short periods, yet neural mechanisms supporting this short-term accessibility remain debated. Recent work suggests that WM representations can be maintained without persistent neural firing, in latent synaptic states often termed 'activity-silent' memory. Such states can be reactivated by brief perturbations of cortical networks ('pinging'), providing a way to probe otherwise hidden representations. If such latent states rely on synaptic plasticity, they may be sensitive to sleep-dependent recalibration of cortical circuits. Here, we test whether sleep spindles, transient thalamo-cortical oscillations linked to