Sleep and motor skill learning.
The improvement of a perceptual or motor skill continues after training has ended. The central question is whether this improvement is just a function of time or whether sleep, a certain circadian phase, or their interaction (sleep occurring in a particular circadian phase) is favorable to the reprocessing of recent memory traces. In this issue of Neuron, provide behavioral evidence that most of the improvement of a motor skill depends on nocturnal sleep.
Cyclotron Research Centre, University of Liège, Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
Steven
S
Laureys
Philippe
P
Peigneux
Fabien
F
Perrin
Pierre
P
Maquet
D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology