Issues surrounding sleep-dependent memory consolidation and plasticity.
There is a growing body of evidence in support of sleep-dependent memory consolidation and plasticity. However, there are also examples of memory development and plasticity in the absence of sleep, casting doubt on an exclusive sleep-dependent memory hypothesis. As a result, polarized stances have arisen within the field. Here we reflect on these findings, and explore how they maybe reconcilable in a unified approach to understanding the roles of wake, sleep and specific sleep stages in successful memory processing and brain plasticity.
Walker
M P
MP
Sleep and Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Sleep and Cognition, Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. mwalker@hms.harvard.edu
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors