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Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
The effect of a daytime nap on priming and recognition tasks in preschool children
Fiorenza Giganti1, Cinzia Arzilli1, Francesca Conte2
1Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Italy.
Insights
A daytime nap significantly improved explicit memory in preschool children, similar to adults. However, implicit memory consolidation did not benefit from napping in this age group.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Sleep is known to benefit memory consolidation in adults and school-aged children.
- Limited research exists on sleep's impact on memory in preschool-aged children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of a daytime nap on memory consolidation in preschool children.
- To differentiate the impact of napping on explicit versus implicit memory.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-three preschool children participated in a study at a nursery school.
- Children performed explicit (recognition) and implicit (priming) memory tasks after a nap or a period of wakefulness.
- Naps were monitored using actigraphy.
Main Results:
- Children who napped showed significantly better performance on the explicit memory recognition task compared to those who stayed awake.
- No significant difference in priming effects was observed between the nap and wake conditions, suggesting no benefit to implicit memory.
Conclusions:
- Daytime napping positively influences explicit memory consolidation in preschool children, mirroring findings in adults.
- Implicit perceptual learning, as measured by priming tasks, does not appear to be enhanced by napping in this age group.
Study Objectives:
The beneficial effect of sleep on memory consolidation is widely accepted in the adult population and has recently been shown in children. However, the few available data almost exclusively refer to school-aged children. Here we explore the effect of a daytime nap on memory consolidation in a sample of preschool children.
Design:
Subjects performed both a figures recognition task and a priming task, in order to differentiate effects on explicit and implicit memory.
Setting:
Nursery school.
Participants:
Twenty-three children (mean age: 52.6 ± 8 mo; 13 males) participated in the study.
Intervention:
After a study phase in which children had to name 40 pictures of objects and animals, each subject either took an actigraphically monitored nap or stayed awake. At retest, children were administered both an implicit and an explicit memory task.
Measurements And Results:
The implicit memory task consisted of naming 40 pictures presented at eight ascending levels of spatial filtering. The explicit memory task consisted of judging 40 pictures as old or new. The number of correct answers at the explicit recognition task was significantly higher in the nap compared to the wake condition, whereas priming effects did not differ between conditions.
Conclusions:
A positive role of sleep in explicit memory consolidation, similar to the one observed in the adult, was detected in our sample of preschool children. In contrast, our data suggest that implicit perceptual learning, involved in priming tasks, does not benefit from sleep.
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