The Effects of an Afternoon Nap on Episodic Memory in Young and Older Adults.

ABSTRACT: In young adults, napping is hypothesized to benefit episodic memory retention (eg, via consolidation). Whether this relationship is present in older adults has not been adequately tested but is an important question because older adults display marked changes in sleep and memory. Between-subjects design. Sleep laboratory at Emory University School of Medicine. Fifty healthy young adults (18-29) and 45 community-dwelling older adults (58-83). Participants were randomly assigned to a 90-minute nap opportunity or an equal interval of quiet wakefulness. Participants underwent an item-wise directed forgetting learning procedure in which they studied words that were individually followed by the instruction to "remember" or "forget." Following a 90-minute retention interval filled with quiet wake

SUBMITTER: Scullin MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5445560 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature