A critical function of sleep is to allow for memory consolidation. For example, performance on a simple, ixplicit sequence task is improved following a 12 hour interval containing sleep relative to a 12 hour interval without sleep. However, this benefit of sleep is not present in older adults (45-80 years) for sequence earning tasks. Conversely, preliminary research suggests that sleep-dependent memory consolidation may remain intact in older adults for a non-motor, cognitive task (word-pair association learning). These results ead to a number of questions which will be examined in the proposed research. First, does the age-related decline in sleep-dependent memory consolidation of sequence learning tasks reflect changes in sleep architecture with age? Likewise, does the spared sleep benefit on word-pair association learning reflect stability of certain sleep stages? Sleep-related changes in performance on the sequence learning task are associated with NREM-2 sleep while SWS seems to be critical for consolidation of word-pair association learning. Thus, the relationship of memory consolidation and sleep architecture, as measured by polysomnography, will be assessed in individuals ranging from 21-80 years of age. Finally, does sleepindependent memory consolidation of motor learning, off-line changes in performance occurring over a period of time spent awake, also decline in older adults? This question will be addressed with a sequence learning paradigm in which off-line learning can be dissociated into sleep-dependent goal-based learning and sleep-independent movement-based learning
This research may provide a novel treatment for age-related memory decline. It is hypothesized that sleep architecture underlies the age-related decline in learning and memory on some tasks. If such is the case, treatments for memory decline can be more appropriately targeted: therapies which enhance sleep may improve age-related decreases in memory.
| Mantua, Janna; Baran, Bengi; Spencer, Rebecca M C (2016) Sleep benefits consolidation of visuo-motor adaptation learning in older adults. Exp Brain Res 234:587-95 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Spencer, Rebecca M C (2015) Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 25:307-30 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Rubin, Zoe S; Tracy, Lauren E et al. (2015) Emotional trait and memory associates of sleep timing and quality. Psychiatry Res 229:999-1010 |
| Spencer, Rebecca M C (2013) Neurophysiological Basis of Sleep's Function on Memory and Cognition. ISRN Physiol 2013:619319 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Spencer, Rebecca M C (2013) Age-related changes in consolidation of perceptual and muscle-based learning of motor skills. Front Aging Neurosci 5:83 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Spencer, Rebecca M C; Vijayakumar, Shilpa et al. (2013) Extinction of conditioned fear is better learned and recalled in the morning than in the evening. J Psychiatr Res 47:1776-84 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Nave, Genevieve; Morgan, Alexandra et al. (2012) Sleep-dependent modulation of affectively guided decision-making. J Sleep Res 21:30-9 |
| Baran, Bengi; Pace-Schott, Edward F; Ericson, Callie et al. (2012) Processing of emotional reactivity and emotional memory over sleep. J Neurosci 32:1035-42 |
| Wilson, Jessica K; Baran, Bengi; Pace-Schott, Edward F et al. (2012) Sleep modulates word-pair learning but not motor sequence learning in healthy older adults. Neurobiol Aging 33:991-1000 |
| Pace-Schott, Edward F; Verga, Patrick W; Bennett, Tobias S et al. (2012) Sleep promotes consolidation and generalization of extinction learning in simulated exposure therapy for spider fear. J Psychiatr Res 46:1036-44 |
Showing the most recent 10 out of 18 publications
