Scientists at the University of York (UK) have discovered how the flow of sleep affects a person's ability to remember new information. The research results are published in the journal Current Biology.
The scientific world has long known that sleep plays an important role in the formation and preservation of new memories. Scientists have decided to identify how memory development is associated with sleep spindles - bursts of vibrational brain activity, visible using an electroencephalogram (EEG).
British scientists believe that it is possible to improve a person's ability to remember if transcranial electrical stimulation is carried out during sleep.
An experiment carried out on volunteers showed the correctness of the conclusions of the researchers. The subjects were told adjectives and associated associations. Then they pronounced these adjectives while they were dozing. The EEG revealed that people had exactly the appropriate associations. Thus, sleep spindles are directly related to the ability to memorize.
Scientists believe that their discovery could help people who have learning difficulties.