title: Motor sequence learning increases sleep spindles and fast frequencies in post-training sleep.
abstract: 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.
authors: Centre d'étude du sommeil et des rythmes biologiques, Laboratoire de chronobiologie, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors: Amélie
authors: A
authors: Morin
authors: Julien
authors: J
authors: Doyon
authors: Valérie
authors: V
authors: Dostie
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Barakat
authors: Abdallah
authors: A
authors: Hadj Tahar
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Korman
authors: Habib
authors: H
authors: Benali
authors: Avi
authors: A
authors: Karni
authors: Leslie G
authors: LG
authors: Ungerleider
authors: Julie
authors: J
authors: Carrier
mesh_terms: 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