Abstract
Sleep is a fundamental and evolutionarily conserved aspect of animal life. Recent studies have shed light on the role of sleep in synaptic plasticity. Demonstrations of memory replay and synapse homeostasis suggest that one essential role of sleep is in the consolidation and optimization of synaptic circuits to retain salient memory traces despite the noise of daily experience. Here, we review this recent evidence and suggest that sleep creates a heightened state of plasticity, which may be essential for this optimization. Furthermore, we discuss how sleep deficits seen in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and autism spectrum disorders might not just reflect underlying circuit malfunction, but could also play a direct role in the progression of those disorders.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 452-463 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Trends in Neurosciences |
Volume | 34 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Our work is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NS062798, DK090065) .
Funding
Our work is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NS062798, DK090065) .
Funders | Funder number |
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National Institutes of Health | NS062798 |
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases | R01DK090065 |