09/10/2015 Sleep'smemoryrolediscoveredBBCNews

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Sleep'smemoryrolediscovered
ByJamesGallagher
Healthandsciencereporter,BBCNews

6June2014 Health

Braininahead

Themechanismbywhichagoodnight'ssleepimproveslearningandmemoryhasbeen
discoveredbyscientists.

TheteaminChinaandtheUSusedadvancedmicroscopytowitnessnewconnectionsbetween
braincellssynapsesformingduringsleep.

Theirstudy,publishedinthejournalScience,showedevenintensetrainingcouldnotmake
upforlostsleep.

Expertssaiditwasanelegantandsignificantstudy,whichuncoveredthemechanismsof
memory.

Itiswellknownthatsleepplaysanimportantroleinmemoryandlearning.Butwhatactually
happensinsidethebrainhasbeenasourceofconsiderabledebate.

ResearchersatNewYorkUniversitySchoolofMedicineandPekingUniversityShenzhen
GraduateSchooltrainedmiceinanewskillwalkingontopofarotatingrod.

Theythenlookedinsidethelivingbrainwithamicroscopetoseewhathappenedwhenthe
animalswereeithersleepingorsleepdeprived.

Theirstudyshowedthatsleepingmiceformedsignificantlymorenewconnectionsbetween
neuronstheywerelearningmore.

Andbydisruptingspecificphasesofsleep,theresearchgroupshoweddeeporslowwave
sleepwasnecessaryformemoryformation.

Duringthisstage,thebrainwas"replaying"theactivityfromearlierintheday.

ProfWenBiaoGan,fromNewYorkUniversity,toldtheBBC:"Findingoutsleeppromotesnew
connectionsbetweenneuronsisnew,nobodyknewthisbefore.

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09/10/2015 Sleep'smemoryrolediscoveredBBCNews

"Wethoughtsleephelped,butitcouldhavebeenothercauses,andweshowitreallyhelpsto
makeconnectionsandthatinsleepthebrainisnotquiet,itisreplayingwhathappenedduring
thedayanditseemsquiteimportantformakingtheconnections."

Analysis

Thisisjustthelatestpieceofsciencetohighlighttheimportanceofsleep.

Anewreasonforsleepwasdiscoveredlastyearwhenexperimentsshowedthebrainused
sleeptowashawaywastetoxinsbuiltupduringahardday'sthinking.

However,thereareconcernsthatpeoplearenotgettingenoughsleep.

AspartoftheBBC'sDayoftheBodyClock,ProfRussellFosterarguedthatsocietyhad
become"supremelyarrogant"inignoringtheimportanceofsleep,leadingto"serioushealth
problems".

Theseinclude:

cancer

heartdisease

type2diabetes

infections

obesity

Therewardformoresleep,ProfFosterargues,iswewouldallbe"betterhumanbeings."

BBCBodyClock:Whatmakesyoutick

BBCScience:Sleep

Furthertestsshowedhowsignificantsleepwas.

Micedoinguptoanhour'strainingfollowedbysleepwerecomparedwithmicetraining
intensivelyforthreehoursbutthensleepdeprived.

Thedifferencewasstillstark,withthesleepersperformingbetterandthebrainformingmore
newconnections.

ProfGanadded:"Oneoftheimplicationsisforkidsstudying,ifyouwanttoremember
somethingforlongperiodsyouneedtheseconnections.

"Soitisprobablybettertostudyandhavegoodsleepratherthankeepstudying."

Commentingonthefindings,DrRaphaelleWinskySommerer,fromtheUniversityofSurrey,
toldtheBBC:"Thisisveryimpressive,carefullycraftedandusingacombinationofexquisite
http://www.bbc.com/news/health27695144 2/8
09/10/2015 Sleep'smemoryrolediscoveredBBCNews

techniquestoidentifytheunderlyingmechanismsofmemory.

"Theyprovidethecellularmechanismofhowsleepcontributestodealingwithexperiences
duringtheday.

"Basicallyittellsyousleeppromotesnewsynapticconnections,sopreserveyoursleep."

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