Abstract
It is known that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep plays a crucial role in learning and memory. Previous studies have demonstrated that postlearning REM sleep deprivation (RSD) impairs memory consolidation. Most of these studies observed only the effects of RSD on learning and memory. In the present study, we not only investigated the impacts of 48-h RSD on the spatial reference memory of young rats in a Morris water maze, but also specifically examined whether an REM rebound for 24–48 h after 48-h RSD affected the maintenance of spatial reference memory. RSD was induced by the modified multiple platform method, and spatial reference memory was tested in a Morris water maze. The results demonstrated that, compared with the control groups, posttraining RSD for 48 h produced a significant impairment in the retention of acquired spatial reference memory, and the impairment continuously existed after 24 and 48 h of release from sleep deprivation, which indicates that REM sleep plays a critical role in reference memory maintenance and consolidation. Moreover, postlearning RSD may lead to a long-term impairment in the consolidation of newly acquired memories.
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This study was funded by Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children’s Environmental Health Grant 06DZ22024, National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant 30700670, Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission Grant 09YZ92, and Program for Excellent Young Teachers in Shanghai Grant jdy-07011.
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Li, S., Tian, Y., Ding, Y. et al. The effects of rapid eye movement sleep deprivation and recovery on spatial reference memory of young rats. Learning & Behavior 37, 246–253 (2009). https://doi.org/10.3758/LB.37.3.246
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/LB.37.3.246