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closeRelated to Consolidation? -- Ernest Greene, Academic Editor
Posted by egreene on 25 Jun 2008 at 21:54 GMT
It is thought that new learning does not immediately solidify into a memory that is stable from interference, but that it “consolidates” with the passage of time. Sleep may also assist the consolidation of memory, having a role that goes beyond the temporal contribution. Although these authors don’t mention consolidation, per se, they report on how an induced neural plasticity affects the power spectrum of EEG during sleep.
In the study, they modified the strength of a motor reflex using transcranial magnetic stimulation, and describe this as being similar to the changes in synaptic strength that can be induced by long-term potentiation. Recordings taken during sleep the following night showed evidence of changes in the EEG power spectrum. They provide details on which brain regions were affected, and which sleep stages manifest EEG changes.
If it is true that consolidation acts during sleep to “solidify” recent changes in neural processing, the methods introduced by these investigators may provide a new way to study the matter.