Brain activity patterns during sleep consolidate memory

Brain activity patterns during sleep consolidate memory

Why does sleeping on it help? This is the question tackled by new research at the University of Bristol, which reveals how brain activity during sleep sorts through the huge number of experiences we encounter every day, filing only the important information in memory.

The new discoveries, made by researchers from Bristol's Centre for Synaptic Plasticity, provide further evidence for the benefits of a good night's sleep.  This is important because the bad nights of sleep often experienced by both the healthy population, and people with schizophrenia or Alzheimer's disease, lead to impaired mental function.

The findings, published today in the journal Cell Reports,and put into context in an article in Trends in Neuroscience, show that patterns of that occur during the day are replayed at fast-forward speed during sleep.

This replayed activity happens in part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is our central filing system for memories.  The key new finding is that sleep replay strengthens the microscopic connections between nerve cells that are active – a process deemed critical for consolidating memories. Therefore, by selecting which daytime activity patterns are replayed, sleep can sort and retain important information. 

Lead researcher Dr Jack Mellor, from the School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, said: 'These findings are about the fundamental processes that occur in the brain during the consolidation of memory during sleep. It also seems that the successful replay of brain activity during is dependent on the emotional state of the person when they are learning. This has major implications for how we teach and enable people to learn effectively.'

More information: Sharp-Wave Ripples Orchestrate the Induction of Synaptic Plasticity during Reactivation of Place Cell Firing Patterns in the Hippocampus. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.01.061

Laura A. Atherton et al. Memory trace replay: the shaping of memory consolidation by neuromodulation, Trends in Neurosciences (2015). DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2015.07.004

Keith G. Phillips et al. Decoupling of Sleep-Dependent Cortical and Hippocampal Interactions in a Neurodevelopmental Model of Schizophrenia, Neuron (2012). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.016

Journal information: Cell Reports , Neuron
Citation: Brain activity patterns during sleep consolidate memory (2016, February 19) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-02-brain-patterns-memory.html
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