Sleep’s memory role discovered – Psychotherapy and Counselling News

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Sleep’s memory role discovered

The mechanism by which a good night’s sleep improves learning and memory has been discovered by scientists.

The team in China and the US used advanced microscopy to witness new connections between brain cells – synapses – forming during sleep.

Their study, published in the journal Science, showed even intense training could not make up for lost sleep.

Experts said it was an elegant and significant study, which uncovered the mechanisms of memory.image man asleep closeup manchester counsellor

It is well known that sleep plays an important role in memory and learning. But what actually happens inside the brain has been a source of considerable debate.

Researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School trained mice in a new skill – walking on top of a rotating rod.

They then looked inside the living brain with a microscope to see what happened when the animals were either sleeping or sleep deprived.

Their study showed that sleeping mice formed significantly more new connections between neurons – they were learning more.

And by disrupting specific phases of sleep, the research group showed deep or slow-wave sleep was necessary for memory formation.

During this stage, the brain was “replaying” the activity from earlier in the day.

Prof Wen-Biao Gan, from New York University, told the BBC: “Finding out sleep promotes new connections between neurons is new, nobody knew this before.

“We thought sleep helped, but it could have been other causes, and we show it really helps to make connections and that in sleep the brain is not quiet, it is replaying what happened during the day and it seems quite important for making the connections.”

Read the full original BBC article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27695144

Sleep’s memory role discovered

Article by ublished on the BBC News website at 00:44 GMT, Friday, 6 June 2014

 

Websites Related to Sleep and Insomnia:

  1. National Sleep Foundation – Sleep Research and Education
  2. NHS Choices – Insomnia Treatment
  3. Sleep Manchester
  4. Anxiety Manchester

 

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Inner Changes is the website of Manchester based UKCP Registered Psychotherapist, Nigel Magowan.  Nigel is a professional and experienced Manchester Psychotherapist / CounsellorNLP Master Practitioner, Life Coach, and Ericksonian Hypnotherapist. He has been in full-time private practice for over 12 years and uses a flexible brief integrative approach which combines all his training, skills and experience to produce a treatment that is tailored to your specific needs.

Original article: Published on the BBC News website.  Accessed 6 June 2014.  Sleep’s memory role discovered.

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