Motor sequence learning increases sleep spindles and fast frequencies in post-training sleep.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate polysomnographic (PSG) sleep and NREM sleep characteristics, including sleep spindles and spectral activity involved in offline consolidation of a motor sequence learning task.


METHODS
Counterbalanced within-subject design.


METHODS
Three weekly visits to the sleep laboratory.


METHODS
Fourteen healthy participants aged between 20 and 30 years (8 women).


METHODS
Motor sequence learning (MSL) task or motor control (CTRL) task before sleep.


RESULTS
Subjects were trained on either the MSL or CTRL task in the evening and retested 12 hours later the following morning on the same task after a night of PSG sleep recording. Total number and duration of sleep spindles and spectral power between 0.5 and 24 Hz were quantified during NREM sleep. After performing the MSL task, subjects exhibited a large increase in number and duration of sleep spindles compared to after the CTRL task. Higher sigma (sigma; 13 Hz) and beta (beta; 18-20 Hz) spectral power during the post-training night's sleep were also observed after the MSL task.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide evidence that sleep spindles are involved in the offline consolidation of a new sequence of finger movements known to be sleep dependent. Moreover, they expand on prior findings by showing that changes in NREM sleep following motor learning are specific to consolidation (and learning), and not to nonspecific motor activity. Finally, these data demonstrate, for the first time, higher fast rhythms (beta frequencies) during sleep after motor learning.
Morin
Amélie
A
Centre d'étude du sommeil et des rythmes biologiques, Laboratoire de chronobiologie, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Doyon
Julien
J
Dostie
Valérie
V
Barakat
Marc
M
Hadj Tahar
Abdallah
A
Korman
Maria
M
Benali
Habib
H
Karni
Avi
A
Ungerleider
Leslie G
LG
Carrier
Julie
J
D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D017286:Polysomnography; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D012691:Serial Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult