Daytime sleep condenses the time course of motor memory consolidation.
Two behavioral phenomena characterize human motor memory consolidation: diminishing susceptibility to interference by a subsequent experience and the emergence of delayed, offline gains in performance. A recent model proposes that the sleep-independent reduction in interference is followed by the sleep-dependent expression of offline gains. Here, using the finger-opposition sequence-learning task, we show that an interference experienced at 2 h, but not 8 h, following the initial training prevented the expression of delayed gains at 24 h post-training. However, a 90-min nap, immediately post-training, markedly reduced the susceptibility to interference, with robust delayed gains expressed overnight, despite interference at 2 h post-training. With no interference, a nap resulted in much earlier expression of delayed gains, within 8 h post-training. These results suggest that the evolution of robustness to interference and the evolution of delayed gains can coincide immediately post-training and that both effects reflect sleep-sensitive processes.
Korman
Maria
M
Brain-Behavior Research Center, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel. mariakorman@yahoo.com
Doyon
Julien
J
Doljansky
Julia
J
Carrier
Julie
J
Dagan
Yaron
Y
Karni
Avi
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology