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Updated: May 17, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Declarative interference affects off-line processing of motor imagery learning during both sleep and wakefulness
Ursula Debarnot1, Eleonora Castellani, Aymeric Guillot
1Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Italy. Ursula.debarnot@gmail.com
Declarative interference impacts motor imagery (MI) consolidation, even after sleep. This suggests mental rehearsal relies on declarative memory, unlike physical practice, affecting skill memory formation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Sleep Research
- Motor Learning
Background:
- Declarative memory interference hinders motor skill consolidation during wakefulness, but not sleep.
- Motor imagery (MI) learning shows greater resistance to procedural interference than physical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if declarative interference affects sleep-dependent consolidation of an explicit finger tapping task learned via MI.
- To compare the impact of declarative interference on MI versus physical practice for skill memory.
Main Methods:
- 57 participants mentally rehearsed a finger tapping sequence.
- Half of participants then practiced an interfering declarative task.
- Participants were re-tested after sleep or a daytime interval.
Main Results:
- Declarative interference negatively impacted MI consolidation during both sleep and wakefulness intervals.
- Declarative interference appeared to affect explicit MI practice more strongly than physical practice.
Conclusions:
- Declarative interference impacts the consolidation of motor skill memories acquired through motor imagery.
- Motor imagery learning may rely more on declarative memory systems than previously thought.
- Findings suggest a significant interaction between declarative and procedural memory systems during MI practice and consolidation.
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