AP51435

Science Summary

Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center studied the effect of sleep after learning something new. The study examined two groups of mice: one learned a new task for an hour and slept for 7 hours afterwards and the other learned a new task for an hour but were not allowed to sleep. While sleeping, an increase in dendritic connections of brain cells in the motor cortex facilitates the passage of information across the synapse, the junction where axon terminals communicate across the synaptic cleft (Wood, 38). Results showed that brain cells that were activated during the learning period replayed the information during deep sleep, when rapid-eye movement and dreams are paused (NYU Langone Medical Center). Doctor Wen Gan observed that specific tasks changed the branch of dendrites in the motor cortex that grew in connection and retained the practiced information. This topic could go along with Barrett’s Laws #10 lack of evidence doesn’t mean it’s false because the study was done on mice and not humans which could alter results. Staying up late or pulling an all-nighter to study for finals may decrease the chances of actually retaining information but more studies need to be conducted to make certain that sleep and memory of new information are related.

References: NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine. "Sleep after learning strengthens connections between brain cells and enhances memory." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 June 2014. . Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green. Wood, and Denise Roberts. Boyd. // Mastering the World of Psychology //. Fourth ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2011. Print.

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