Practice with Sleep Makes Perfect: Sleep-Dependent Motor Skill Learning

Improvement in motor skill performance is known to continue for at least 24 hr following training, yet the relative contributions of time spent awake and asleep are unknown. Here we provide evidence that a night of sleep results in a 20% increase in motor speed without loss of accuracy, while an equ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Mass.), 2002-07, Vol.35 (1), p.205-211
Main Authors: Walker, Matthew P., Brakefield, Tiffany, Morgan, Alexandra, Hobson, J.Allan, Stickgold, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Brain - physiology
Circadian Rhythm - physiology
Female
Humans
Learning - physiology
Male
Memory - physiology
Motor ability
Motor Skills - physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Sleep
Sleep - physiology
Wakefulness - physiology
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Summary:Improvement in motor skill performance is known to continue for at least 24 hr following training, yet the relative contributions of time spent awake and asleep are unknown. Here we provide evidence that a night of sleep results in a 20% increase in motor speed without loss of accuracy, while an equivalent period of time during wake provides no significant benefit. Furthermore, a significant correlation exists between the improved performance overnight and the amount of stage 2 NREM sleep, particularly late in the night. This finding of sleep-dependent motor skill improvement may have important implications for the efficient learning of all skilled actions in humans.
ISSN:0896-6273
1097-4199
DOI:10.1016/S0896-6273(02)00746-8