Age-related decline of sleep-dependent consolidation

• Published in: Learning & memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) Vol. 14; no. 7; pp. 480 - 484
• Main Authors: Spencer, Rebecca M.C., Gouw, Arvin M., Ivry, Richard B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cold Spring Harbor, NY Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 01.07.2007
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging - physiology; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Circadian Rhythm; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Learning - physiology; Male; Memory - physiology; Middle Aged; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Sleep - physiology; Sleep Wake Disorders - physiopathology; Consolidation; Sleep; Sleep wake cycle; Age
• ISSN: 1072-0502; 1549-5485; 1549-5485
• DOI: 10.1101/lm.569407

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation is observed following motor skill learning: Performance improvements are greater over a 12-h period containing sleep relative to an equivalent interval without sleep. Here we examined whether older adults exhibit sleep-dependent consolidation on a sequence learning task. Participants were trained on one of two sequence learning tasks. Performance was assessed after a 12-h break that included sleep and after a 12-h break that did not include sleep. Older and younger adults showed similar degrees of initial learning. However, performance of the older adults did not improve following sleep, providing evidence that sleep-dependent consolidation is diminished with age.