If you compromise your sleep for study, you might want to change your habit. A recent study has revealed that sleep is important for long lasting memories, particularly during the exam season. The research by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, suggests that sleeping triggers synapses in our brain to both strengthen and weaken, which prompts the forgetting, strengthening or modification of our memories in a process known as long-term potentiation (LTP). The results of the study shows that sleep can have completely different effect, depending on whether LTP is present or not. A lack of LTP leads to memory loss, while the presence of LTP can either strengthen memories or prompt the emergence of new ones. The research also provides an empirical and theoretical framework to understand the mechanisms underlying the complex role of sleep for learning, which involves selective remembering and creativity. The study is published in journal PLOS Computational Biology.
