Motor Memory Consolidation in Sleep Shapes More Effective Neuronal Representations

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1743-05.2005
• Publication Date: 2005-12-07T18:02:49Z
• Authors: Stefan Fischer; Matthias F. Nitschke; Uwe H. Melchert; Christian Erdmann; Jan Born
• Keywords: Sleep; Motor Learning; Consolidation

Learning a motor skill involves latent process of consolidation that develops after training to enhance the in absence any practice and crucially depends on sleep. Here, we show this during sleep changes brain representation by reducing overall neocortical contributions representation. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed initial 48 h later, at retesting, sequential finger movement task with followed either night regular or deprivation. An additional for all subjects served rule out unspecific effects loss retrieval testing. Posttraining sleep, but not deprivation, led improved performance retrieval. This sleep-dependent improvement linked greatly reduced activation prefrontal, premotor, primary cortical areas, along stronger involvement left parietal regions. Our findings indicate storing reorganizes its toward enhanced efficacy.