What auditory cueing does to slow waves and spindles
Auditory memory cueing during sleep is not passive: sounds associated with learned material can trigger measurable brain responses. In one within-subject study, cues timed to either the up-state or down-state of slow oscillations evoked signs of cue processing in both conditions, and both conditions produced a similar spindle response together with an induced slow-oscillation up-state about one second after the cue [1]. That suggests the sleeping brain can respond to cue timing with coordinated slow-wave and spindle activity, at least in the short term.
A review of slow-wave sleep and memory describes slow oscillations as high-amplitude slow waves that coordinate with sleep spindles, and it notes that cued memory reactivation during slow-wave sleep can alter memory outcomes [4]. The review also discusses closed-loop auditory stimulation as a technique for influencing sleep rhythms, but it does not compare personalized with standard cueing methods [4].
Timing and sleep stage matter more than personalization in the evidence
The studies that come closest to the question vary the timing or stage of cueing rather than whether cues are personalized. One study compared cueing in the up-state versus down-state of slow oscillations and found no memory-performance difference between the two, nor between cued and uncued word-pairs [1]. That result argues against a simple rule that one slow-oscillation phase is the optimal window for cueing, but it does not tell us whether individually tailored cues would change slow waves or spindles.
Another study compared targeted memory reactivation during slow-wave sleep and sleep stage 2, measuring slow oscillations and sleep spindles during cueing periods [2]. Because the comparison is between sleep stages, not between personalized and standard sounds, any differences in slow waves or spindles there are about the sleep context rather than about cue personalization [2].
Spindle coupling and longer-term effects remain indirect
Sleep spindles are brief bursts of faster brain activity that often nest within slow oscillations, and several of these studies treat that coupling as central to memory consolidation [1][3][4]. A study of procedural memory reactivation during non-REM sleep focused on sleep spindles and their coupling with slow oscillations over longer intervals, but it used different sets of auditory tones rather than a personalized-versus-standard comparison [3]. So it supports the idea that cueing can be studied through spindle–slow-wave coupling, without answering whether personalization changes that coupling.
In older adults, closed-loop auditory stimulation was found to enhance slow-wave activity, and the study analyzed distinct oscillatory components including slow waves and spindles in relation to memory [5]. That work shows slow waves and spindles can be measured as separate targets of auditory stimulation, but it does not compare personalized with standard cueing, so it cannot say whether personalization would shift either rhythm [5].
What a direct comparison would need to show
To answer the question directly, a study would need to deliver personalized auditory cues and standard auditory cues during sleep and compare slow-wave activity and spindle responses between the two conditions. None of the available studies does that. The existing evidence instead shows that cue timing relative to slow oscillations can evoke spindle responses [1], that cueing can be compared across sleep stages with slow waves and spindles as measured outcomes [2], and that slow waves and spindles can be separately analyzed under auditory stimulation [5]. Those findings make the comparison feasible, but they do not supply its result.
Sources used in this answer
No difference between slow oscillation up- and down-state cueing for memory consolidation during sleep.
Cueing word-pairs in either the up-state or down-state of slow oscillations produced no memory-performance difference between conditions or between cued and uncued pairs, and both conditions evoked a similar spindle response with an induced slow-oscillation up-state about one second after the cue.
Comparing targeted memory reactivation during slow wave sleep and sleep stage 2
Targeted memory reactivation was compared between slow-wave sleep and sleep stage 2, with slow oscillations and sleep spindles measured during cueing periods, but personalized versus standard cueing was not compared.
Long term effects of cueing procedural memory reactivation during NREM sleep
Cueing procedural memory during non-REM sleep was examined for long-term effects with attention to sleep spindles and their coupling with slow oscillations, using different sets of auditory tones rather than a personalized-versus-standard comparison.
Slow-wave sleep as a key player in offline memory processing: insights from human EEG studies
A review describes slow-wave sleep as characterized by high-amplitude slow waves coordinated with sleep spindles and discusses closed-loop auditory stimulation, without comparing personalized and standard cueing methods.
Closed-Loop Auditory Stimulation Reveals Differential Sleep Oscillatory Contributions to Memory in Healthy Older Adults
Closed-loop auditory stimulation in older adults enhanced slow-wave activity and was analyzed for effects on distinct oscillatory components including slow waves and spindles in relation to memory, but personalized versus standard cueing was not compared.