10.06.2011

augmenting NREM cortical consolidation

ocular dominance plasticity has been shown to be weakened by administering NMDA antagonists during sleep. if this idea can be translated to other cortical areas, and potentially work in reverse, the question is: has anyone attempted NMDA agonist action right before sleep after a hard days learning? more for visuospatial and motor tasks as opposed to explicit memory consolidation, but it would be interesting to know if learning is augmented.

recent idea is synaptic homeostasis hypothesis
the idea that wakefullness increases en bloc all NT potentiation, and that during sleep this potentiation is brought back down (or balanced) and possibly certain memory traces are pruned and retained during this diurnal event.

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