REM sleep and memory consolidation. 1978

A J Tilley, and J A Empson

One proposal referring to a specific function of REM sleep has been that it is necessary for, or at least conductive to, the progress of memory consolidation. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the effects on story retention of REM deprivation against an S4 deprived control. It was found that recall accuracy following REM deprivation was significantly poorer than following S4 deprivation. Furthermore, the degree of deterioration in recall accuracy during REM recovery sleep was less than during S4 recovery sleep. These findings were interpreted as evidence for active REM facilitation of memory consolidation. However, alternative explanations based upon proactive influences need to be investigated.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008568 Memory Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory.
D011939 Mental Recall The process whereby a representation of past experience is elicited. Recall, Mental
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012892 Sleep Deprivation The state of being deprived of sleep under experimental conditions, due to life events, or from a wide variety of pathophysiologic causes such as medication effect, chronic illness, psychiatric illness, or sleep disorder. Inadequate Sleep,Insufficient Sleep,Insufficient Sleep Syndrome,REM Sleep Deprivation,Sleep Debt,Sleep Fragmentation,Sleep Insufficiency,Deprivation, REM Sleep,Deprivation, Sleep,Fragmentation, Sleep,Insufficiencies, Sleep,Insufficiency, Sleep,Insufficient Sleep Syndromes,Sleep Deprivation, REM,Sleep Insufficiencies,Sleep, Inadequate,Sleep, Insufficient,Syndrome, Insufficient Sleep
D012894 Sleep Stages Periods of sleep manifested by changes in EEG activity and certain behavioral correlates; they formerly included Stage 1: sleep onset, drowsy sleep; Stage 2: light sleep; Stages 3 and 4: delta sleep, light sleep, deep sleep, telencephalic sleep. In 2007, sleep stages were redefined by The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as: N1-N2 (sleep onset - light sleep), N3 (SLOW-WAVE SLEEP), and REM SLEEP. N1-Sleep,N2-Sleep,NREM Stage 1,NREM Stage 2,N1 Sleep,N2 Sleep,Sleep Stage,Stage, Sleep,Stages, Sleep
D012895 Sleep, REM A stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eye and low voltage fast pattern EEG. It is usually associated with dreaming. Fast-Wave Sleep,Paradoxical Sleep,Rapid Eye Movements,Rhombencephalic Sleep,Sleep, Fast-Wave,REM Sleep,Eye Movement, Rapid,Eye Movements, Rapid,Fast Wave Sleep,Movement, Rapid Eye,Movements, Rapid Eye,Rapid Eye Movement,Sleep, Fast Wave,Sleep, Paradoxical,Sleep, Rhombencephalic

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