In a study, published in the journal NeuroImage, researchers from Canada and Belgium have found that Brainwaves – specifically sleep spindles – produced during sleep helps us to store new information in our memory which helps boost learning.
Recent Research:
Brainwaves, specifically, ones called sleep spindles, are fast bursts of electrical activity produced by neurons mainly during Stage 2 sleep, prior to deep sleep.
Using medical imaging machines, researchers were able to assess brain activity related to these waves.
It's hypothesised that sleep spindles play an important role in transferring information from the hippocampus to the neocortex. This has the effect of increasing the strength of memories.
Sleep spindles?
Sleep spindles are sudden bursts of oscillatory brain activity generated in the reticular nucleus of the thalamus that occur during stage 2 of light sleep.
Sleep spindles may also be referred to sigma bands or sigma waves.
These brainwaves are called sleep spindles because of how they look when printed out on an electroencephalographic (EEG) reading.
The EEG shows voltage difference fluctuations, and the lumping together in a close time of a flurry of fluctuations suggests something going on in the brain like a transfer of electrical energy.
Researchers believe sleep spindles represent periods of time where the brain inhibits mental processing in order to keep the person in a tranquil state.
Dear Student,
You have still not entered your mailing address. Please enter the address where all the study materials will be sent to you. (If applicable).
