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Learning during sleep in humans - A historical review
Somayeh Ataei1, Eni Simo2, Mathijs Bergers3
1Department of Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Sleep Medicine Reviews
|October 1, 2023
Summary
Learning during sleep is possible for simple tasks like conditioning, but complex skills like language acquisition remain inconclusive. Further research is needed to understand sleep learning capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Psychology
Background:
- The capacity for learning during sleep has been debated for over a century.
- Previous research is hindered by varied objectives and methodologies, complicating definitive conclusions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive historical overview of human sleep learning research.
- To synthesize findings from 51 research papers to assess the current state of sleep learning.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and synthesis of 51 empirical studies on sleep learning in humans.
- Analysis of both neural markers and behavioral evidence for learning during sleep.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports the possibility of simpler forms of learning (habituation, conditioning) during sleep.
- Findings for complex, applied learning (e.g., language) are divergent, with inconclusive behavioral evidence for wake transfer.
- Neural markers often indicate processing and learning during sleep, but behavioral confirmation is lacking.
Conclusions:
- Simpler learning forms are supported, but complex skill acquisition during sleep requires further investigation.
- Discrepancies in the literature stem from methodological limitations and assumptions.
- Future research should explore new directions to clarify the extent of sleep learning capabilities.
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