Andr.V.S. [creativecommons license] via Wikimedia CommonsSleep and memory are closely related. In fruit flies, rodents and humans, sleep deprivation impairs memory consolidation, whereas sleep improves memory. But the physiological nature of the relationship between sleep and memory is poorly understood. Does the mechanism that promotes sleep also consolidate memory, or are there two separate processes at work? Paula Haynes, Bethany Christmann and Leslie Griffith (Brandeis University, Waltham, MA) have new results that support the former option.
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