title: Cerebral Activation During Initial Motor Learning Forecasts Subsequent Sleep-Facilitated Memory Consolidation in Older Adults.
abstract: Older adults exhibit deficits in motor memory consolidation; however, little is known about the cerebral correlates of this impairment. We thus employed fMRI to investigate the neural substrates underlying motor sequence memory consolidation, and the modulatory influence of post-learning sleep, in healthy older adults. Participants were trained on a motor sequence and retested following an 8-h interval including wake or diurnal sleep as well as a 22-h interval including a night of sleep. Results demonstrated that a post-learning nap improved offline consolidation across same- and next-day retests. This enhanced consolidation was reflected by increased activity in the putamen and the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus, regions that have previously been implicated in sleep-dependent neural plasticity in young adults. Moreover, for the first time in older adults, the neural substrates subserving initial motor learning, including the putamen, cerebellum, and parietal cortex, were shown to forecast subsequent consolidation depending on whether a post-learning nap was afforded. Specifically, sufficient activation in a motor-related network appears to be necessary to trigger sleep-facilitated consolidation in older adults. Our findings not only demonstrate that post-learning sleep can enhance motor memory consolidation in older adults, but also provide the system-level neural correlates of this beneficial effect.
authors.affiliation: Functional Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.|Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bradley R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Functional Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saucier
authors.affiliation: Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group, Department of Kinesiology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albouy
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Institute and Department of Psychology, Western University, London, Canada.
authors.forename: Stuart M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Fogel
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Jost-Julian
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Rumpf
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klann
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University Magna Graecia, Catanzaro, Italy and IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Buccino
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical and Cognitive Neurosciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Binkofski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Classen
authors.affiliation: Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Department of Human Biology and The E.J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karni
authors.affiliation: Functional Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Doyon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: aging; fMRI; memory consolidation; motor learning; sleep