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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood
08:20

Measuring Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation During Naps in Early Childhood

Published on: October 2, 2019

12.0K

Early childhood naps initiate emotional memory processing in preparation for enhanced overnight consolidation

Olivia Hanron1,2, Gina M Mason1,3, Jennifer F Holmes1

  • 1Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.

Child Development
|January 3, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Napping may initially destabilize children's emotional memories, rather than consolidating them. Overnight sleep appears crucial for solidifying these memories, especially after napping.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Sleep research

Background:

  • Early childhood naps are known to support emotional memory, but the benefits are typically seen only after overnight sleep.
  • It remains unclear whether emotional memory consolidation occurs during naps or if naps merely prepare memories for subsequent overnight consolidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if naps protect emotional memories from interference, which would indicate memory consolidation.
  • To explore the role of napping in the consolidation of emotional memories in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty-three preschool children (aged 33-67 months) learned faces paired with negative or neutral descriptions.
  • Participants then either napped or remained awake, followed by a delayed recognition test.
  • An interference task was administered to half the participants before the recognition test to assess memory protection.

Main Results:

  • Napping benefited memory recognition in the absence of interference.
  • However, with interference, children recognized fewer negative faces after napping compared to staying awake.
  • Overnight sleep attenuated the negative impact of interference on memory recognition after napping.

Conclusions:

  • Naps may initially destabilize emotional memories in young children, potentially indicating a partial processing stage.
  • This destabilization might facilitate long-term memory consolidation, which is more effectively achieved through overnight sleep.
  • The findings suggest a complex role for naps in emotional memory processing, distinct from overnight sleep consolidation.

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