Does sleep help memories stick? Many lifestyle choices have the potential to affect your cognitive abilities. In recent years, various researchers have found that a habit that most of us take for granted — sleep — may affect our memory in noticeable ways. Memories and the entorhinal cortex In a recent study from the journal Nature Neuroscience, UCLA neurophysics professor Mayank R. Mehta found that a brain area called the entorhinal cortex plays a key role in memory consolidation during sleep. Memory consolidation is the process that stores and reinforces long-term memories so you can draw on them later. While the mice in Mehtas study slept, their entorhinal cortices displayed activation patterns very similar to patterns that occurred when the mice remembered something during the day. This nighttime activity, in turn, spurred neural activity in the hippocampus. The hippocampus has often been considered a central player in long-term memory consolidation during sleep, and this study shows that the processes may be far more complex than previously thought. Sleep may provide direction for Alzheimer’s research Not only can Mehta’s research help us understand how we strengthen memories during sleep, but it may also provide clues for investigating Alzheimers disease — which begins in the entorhinal cortex and often involves impaired sleep. Of course, human brains differ greatly from those of mice, and further research will be needed to truly understand the entorhinal cortexs role in memory consolidation. Sleep well and stay sharp This study reminds us of the complex ties between lifestyle habits and cognition — and reaffirms the importance of getting enough sleep each night. With many new studies continuing to find evidence that our brains are hard at work during the night, most scientists agree that getting a decent night’s rest is a good idea.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Jun 2014 23:10:04 +0000
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