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Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Current ideas about the roles of rapid eye movement and non-rapid eye movement sleep in brain development
Marit S Knoop1, Eline R de Groot1, Jeroen Dudink1,2
1Department of Neonatology, Wilhelmina Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Understanding the links between sleep and brain development is important, as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep seem to contribute to different aspects of brain maturation. If children have sleep problems, REM sleep and NREM sleep are likely to have different consequences for their developing brain, depending on their age. We highlight important discoveries from human and animal research on the role sleep plays in brain development. A hypothetical model is presented to explain the dynamic relationship of REM sleep and NREM sleep with different processes of brain maturation, with implications for current neonatal care and future research.
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