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Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
Published on: October 2, 2019
Molecular Mechanisms of Memory Consolidation That Operate During Sleep
Irene Reyes-Resina1, Sebastian Samer1, Michael R Kreutz1,2,3,4
1Research Group Neuroplasticity, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
Abstract:
The role of sleep for brain function has been in the focus of interest for many years. It is now firmly established that sleep and the corresponding brain activity is of central importance for memory consolidation. Less clear are the underlying molecular mechanisms and their specific contribution to the formation of long-term memory. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of such mechanisms and we discuss the several unknowns that hinder a deeper appreciation of how molecular mechanisms of memory consolidation during sleep impact synaptic function and engram formation.
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