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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Researchers identify neurons responsible for memory consolidation during REM sleep:

In a study published this month in Neuron, researchers from University of Tsukuba and the University of Tokyo have revealed that adult-born neurons (ABNs) in the hippocampus, which is a brain region associated with memory, are responsible for memory consolidation during REM sleep.

Neurogenesis, the process by which new neurons are formed, takes place in the hippocampus throughout the lifespan of animals, including humans. At present, little is known about the contribution of ABNs to memory formation during sleep, something the researchers at University of Tsukuba and the University of Tokyo aimed to address.

[...] "We found that young ABNs that were most active during REM sleep after the memory task were most likely to have been active during learning," explains Professor Masashi Yanagisawa, the other senior author of the study. "Further, when we then examined the effects of optogenetic silencing on young ABN activity during sleep, we found that the consolidation of contextual fear memories was impaired."

Journal Reference: Deependra Kumar, Iyo Koyanagi, Alvaro Carrier-Ruiz, et al. Sparse Activity of Hippocampal Adult-Born Neurons during REM Sleep Is Necessary for Memory Consolidation. Neuron, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.008

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