Sleep is not just for the weak
Feb. 5th, 2003 11:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsycheSleep May Improve Memory
Sleep is not just for resting, according to new research that suggests the brain uses this apparent down time to process information obtained during the day into more permanent memories.
The discovery adds to the evidence that sleep is productive and necessary to brain health and function for all creatures that snooze.
Researchers monitored the brains of 10 mice and 4 rats while they slept. Oscillations in electrical activity were analyzed and compared to those emitted by the rodents when they were awake.
As the rodents dozed, the thalamus at the base of their brains originated bursts of electrical activity known as sleep spindles. These spindles were then detected in the somatosensory neocortex, an area of the brain associated with processing sensory information. Approximately 50 milliseconds later, the hippocampus — a region linked to learning and memory — responded with a pulse of electricity called a ripple.
"This neocortical-hippocampal dialogue may provide a selection mechanism for the time-compressed replay of information learned during the day," said Györgi Buzsáki, professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University.
[...] Buzsáki and his team theorize that the ripple is the hippocampus sending back neat, compact waves of memory to the neocortex where they are filed away for future reference.
The researchers discovered most of the activity took place during slow wave sleep. This stage of slumber makes up the majority of the sleep cycle and occurs before REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
"REM was believed to be the important ingredient for memory consolidation," Buzsáki told Discovery News. "This picture has changed ... it is not REM but slow wave sleep (that) is critical for memory formation."
Sleep is not just for resting, according to new research that suggests the brain uses this apparent down time to process information obtained during the day into more permanent memories.
The discovery adds to the evidence that sleep is productive and necessary to brain health and function for all creatures that snooze.
Researchers monitored the brains of 10 mice and 4 rats while they slept. Oscillations in electrical activity were analyzed and compared to those emitted by the rodents when they were awake.
As the rodents dozed, the thalamus at the base of their brains originated bursts of electrical activity known as sleep spindles. These spindles were then detected in the somatosensory neocortex, an area of the brain associated with processing sensory information. Approximately 50 milliseconds later, the hippocampus — a region linked to learning and memory — responded with a pulse of electricity called a ripple.
"This neocortical-hippocampal dialogue may provide a selection mechanism for the time-compressed replay of information learned during the day," said Györgi Buzsáki, professor of neuroscience at Rutgers University.
[...] Buzsáki and his team theorize that the ripple is the hippocampus sending back neat, compact waves of memory to the neocortex where they are filed away for future reference.
The researchers discovered most of the activity took place during slow wave sleep. This stage of slumber makes up the majority of the sleep cycle and occurs before REM (rapid eye movement) sleep.
"REM was believed to be the important ingredient for memory consolidation," Buzsáki told Discovery News. "This picture has changed ... it is not REM but slow wave sleep (that) is critical for memory formation."
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interestng, very very interesting
Date: 2003-02-05 08:56 am (UTC)