Sleep transforms daily experiences into lasting memories, Grossman study finds
Daytime experiences followed by synchronized neural activity can lead to the formation of permanent memories during sleep, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
The study suggests that during natural pauses in brain activity, large groups of neurons in the hippocampus generate neural activity — known as hippocampal “sharp wave-ripples” — to encode memories. When daytime experiences are followed by five to 20 of these ripples, they are more likely to be replayed during sleep, making the memories permanent.