Rapid eye movement sleep mediates age-related decline in prospective memory consolidation.

ABSTRACT:

Study objectives

Prospective memory, or remembering to execute future intentions, accounts for half of everyday forgetting in older adults. Sleep intervals benefit prospective memory consolidation in young adults, but it is unknown whether age-related changes in slow wave activity, sleep spindles, and/or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep mediate hypothesized effects of aging on prospective memory consolidation.

Methods

After an adaptation night, 76 adults aged 18-84 completed two experimental nights of in-laboratory polysomnography recording. In the evening, participants encoded and practiced a prospective memory task and were tested the next morning. On a counterbalanced night, they encoded and practiced a control task, and were tested the following morning.

Results

Inc

SUBMITTER: Scullin MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6559169 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature