Sleep Deprivation Hampers Ability to Form New Memories

Foregoing a good night's sleep may wreck the brain's ability to make new memories. A new study from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine demonstrated that a key purpose of sleep is to recalibrate the brain cells responsible for learning and memory, solidifying lessons learned for when the sleeper is awake. Using a mouse model, the researchers discovered several important molecules that govern the recalibration process, as well as evidence that sleep deprivation, sleep disorders and sleeping pills can interfere with the process. Graham Diering, Ph.D., the postdoctoral fellow who led the study, explained that the results from the mouse study can be used to make determinations about the human brain. "Our findings solidly advance the idea that the mouse and presumably the human brain can only store so much information before it needs to recalibrate," he said in a statement.