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How does sleep affect memory
The effect of sleep on memory
The effect of sleep on memory
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The consolidation of declarative memories is enhanced during the retention intervals filled with sleep. Studies state that recently gained declarative memories are unconsciously reactivated especially during periods of slow wave sleep. This results in a better transfer and integration of temporarily stored memories in the hippocampus into the neocortical regions. This study was based on the possibility of improving the memory reactivation process by presenting an external recall cue during the slow wave sleep and the external recall cue that was used was an
olfactory stimulus because odors are highly capable of inducing odor-associated memories. However, it has been discovered that this stimulus type have small effects on the sleep process
Hippocampus is a small, curved region, which exists in both hemispheres of the brain and plays a vital role in emotions, learning and acquisition of new information. It also contributes majorly to long term memory, which is permanent information stored in the brain. Although long term memory is the last information that can be forgotten, its impairment has become very common nowadays. The dysfunction is exemplified by many neurological disorders such as amnesia. There are two types of amnesia, anterograde and retrograde. Anterograde amnesia is inability in forming new information, while retrograde refers to the loss of the past memory. As suggested by Cipolotti and Bird (2006), hippocampus’s lesions are responsible for both types of amnesia. According to multiple trace theory, the author suggests that hippocampal region plays a major role in effective retrieving of episodic memory (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For example, patients with hippocampal damage show extensively ungraded retrograde amnesia (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). They have a difficult time in retrieving information from their non-personal episodic events and autobiographical memory. However, this theory conflicts with standard model of consolidation. The difference between these theories suggests that researchers need to do more work to solve this controversy. Besides retrieving information, hippocampus is also important in obtaining new semantic information, as well as familiarity and recollection (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For instance, hippocampal amnesic patient V.C shows in ability to acquire new semantic knowledge such as vocabularies and factual concepts (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). He is also unable to recognize and recall even...
However, scientists are beginning to uncover that stress can also inhibit the plasticity and neurogenesis within the hippocampus. By inhibiting these processes, stress can negatively influence the mechanism responsible for memory consolidation in the brain. These effects, if not treated promptly with suitable sleep, could have harmful and damaging effects on nerve cells in the hippocampus. By identifying these effects within sleep deprivation, scientists can formulate new effective drugs and mechanisms to enhance memory impairment caused by sleep loss.
There are many examples of published research that considers this phenomenon. Lenny’s predicament is like the case of patient HM explored in Corkin (2002). This man suffered from intractable epileptic seizures in the Media temporal lobe. To reduce his epilepsy surgeons removed part of the brain, losing two thirds of his hippocampus which is critical for the formation on new memories. Like Lenny patient HM wakes everyday with no memory of the previous day but sustained his older memories before his operation (Corkin,
Rasch, B., & Born, J. (2008). Reactivation and consolidation of memory during sleep. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17, 188-192. doi: 10.1111/j.14678721.2008.00572.x
...ep. There are events in sleep that are associated with synaptic modification, which is the basis of brain rewiring that enhances cognition. There is evidence that sleep accelerated transcription of cortical genes that are associated with protein synthesis9. These newly generated proteins are known to be required for strengthening of existing synapses and building new synapses. Studies have found increase of factors associated with brain-plasticity and enhanced learning during sleep5. These factors include phosphorylated or activated CREB, a transcriptional factor, as well as Arc, BDNF, and NGFI-A. These evidence help explain how sleep can influence brain rewiring through synaptic modification. This mechanism helps explain how sleep can modify the brain and ultimately enhance learning. This is a strong evidence that supports the synaptic downscaling hypothesis.
This article is from The Journal of Experimental Psychology, and was written on an experiment performed by psychologist Bruce R. Ekstrand, from the University of Colorado. He experimented on the effects that sleep has on one's memory, after learning a particular bit of knowledge, in this case a certain list of twelve three-letter words.
The brain is the most important organ in the body and without it life would not exist. In a metaphorical sense, the brain can be thought of as a master computer. Functions of the brain include physical behavior, emotion, learning capability and memory. Since the beginning of scientific exploration, the brain has been a significant area of interest and its complexity still puzzles scientists today. New research methods and advances in technology have allowed humans to understand more about the brain within the past 10 years than in the preceding centuries (Brain Basics, 2013.) Research on the role of sleep in brain functionality shows surprising promise. The amount and quality of sleep an individual receives effects learning ability and the risk of developing brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
To understand the concept of recovered memories and their validity, we must first understand to an extent how memory works. The Medial Temporal Lobe is the name we give to structures in our brain necessary for memory, this mainly includes the hippocampus, however the amygdala and the frontal lobe also play important roles. The hippocampus is where our long-term memories are stored in the brain, with age this becomes more dysfunctional. The amygdala and frontal lobe both work to encode our memories into our brain, however the frontal lobe also maintains agendas, refreshes and rehearses information, aids in resisting distraction, and directs our attention to certain features (2). When we think of our memory we like to think we remember everything
However, there are few studies investigating the effect of sleep deprivation on false memory formation; these studies offer conflicting evidence and are based on the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) task—a test where participants memorize lists of words associated with a word not on the list and are tested on their memory—instead of more naturalistic stimuli meaning that the effect constructive memory retrieval would have on false memory formation is more diminished (Frenda et al., 2014). The purpose of the study by Frenda et. al was to gain stronger evidence for any relationship between sleep deprivation and false memory formation within real-life situations. The results from this study may have practical applications, especially in eyewitness testimonies (Frenda et al., 2014). Determining whether or not sleep deprivation causes false memory formations could be tantamount to verifying the accuracy of eyewitness testimony of the
Many studies of the role of sleep are partial or total sleep deprivation studies which support Oswold’s restoration theory. One of these supporting studies was Dement’s. He deprived participants of REM sleep and consequently found that they increased their number of attempted REM stages from 12 to 26 over 4-7 nights. During their first uninterrupted night, participants increased their REM sleep by 10% which is known as REM rebound. This suggests the importance of REM and the possibility that the purpose of sleep is to get into REM sleep. The participants reported anxiety, irritability and difficulty concentrating which shows that REM sleep is needed to avoid these affects and enable brain recovery which corresponds with Oswold’s theory. Even so, Dement’s study has low ecological validity, it has low population validity because there were only 8 participants and they were a self-selected sample. Participants would probably have shown demand characteristics because the experiment took place in a lab. It also has low mundane realism because people would not usually sleep in a lab and be interrupted repeatedly.
Sleep is an integral part of life, but differs from other states of reduced consciousness in that the brain is still somewhat active. Sleep is an “altered state of consciousness, [with the sleeper losing] substantial contact with the external world.” (Gazzaniga, M., & Heatherton, T., 2016). Nonetheless, brain activity has an extensive role in the creation of “sleep”, generating two distinct types - slow-wave sleep, also referred to as deep sleep, and rapid eye movement, also called the dreaming stage. Comprised of five stages, sleep is a complex state of mind, also consisting of patterns known as circadian rhythms. Operating as a behavior, sleep alters to suit our bodily needs, and informs us of such needs through an intricate network of nerves. Furthermore, without obtaining an ideal amount of sleep, problems can arise that may affect one’s wellbeing. Detailed research and studies previously conducted on the subject of sleep allows the accumulation of information to be
With the body being reset and the mind functioning correctly, with the students and adults, their minds will increase the productivity during a work day and in learning. When the body has a better ability to memorize and learn new information and content, students and adults will be able to increase their knowledge base and learn more about anything they are doing. “A growing body of evidence suggests that offline periods of waking rest and sleep benefit memory” (Graveline, Wamsley). When individuals get the required eight hours of sleep, they have the ability to increase their growing while they sleep. If the body has not gone through REM, rapid eye movement sleep, then the sleep was almost worthless. REM sleep is the deepest part of sleep and it is when the most chemicals and healing occurs. REM sleep can occur at different times for different individuals and can be recurring throughout the sleep
With smells, people have a lot of extra processing before they even realize the smell. A lot of people's bodies contain many more smell receptors (about 1,000) than any amount of receptors for other senses. This means that the odor-cued memories are much stronger. In an experiment, adults were given three cues ( a word, a picture, or an odor) and asked to try and recall memories from that specific word, picture, or odor. The results confirmed that odor-cued memories were usually within the first ten years of the adult’s life, but the visual and verbal information were from the participants early
Rasch, Björn, and Jan Born. "About Sleep 's Role in Memory." Physiological Reviews. American Physiological Society, n.d. Web. 06 May 2016.
Sleep plays a vital role in a person’s mental well-being. Sleeping affects how well people think, react, work, learn, and get along with others. While a person is sleeping, his brain is preparing to help him learn and remember information. A good night’s sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills. It is very important for the students to have sound sleep as it can improve their concentration, memory and creativity. Furthermore, having enough sleep increases the ability to m...