Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: LEONELA MAGALÍ TASSONE | email: ltassone@itba.edu.ar
LEONELA MAGALÍ TASSONE 1°2°, MALEN DAIANA MOYANO 1°2°, VANESSA VIDAL 1°2°, MATÍAS PRETEL 1°, IGNACIO BRUSCO 2°3° CECILIA FORCATO1°2°
1° Laboratorio de Sueño y Memoria, Departamento de Ciencias de la vida, Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires (ITBA).
2° Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
3° Centro de Neuropsiquiatría y Neurología de la Conducta- CENECON, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Normal aging is accompanied by deficits in several memory processes: encoding, consolidation and evocation. Nevertheless, encoding information is the most affected. Furthermore, during wakefulness, the constant encoding of new information leads to an increase in the net synaptic strength in the brain that saturates learning. According to the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis, slow-wave sleep serves to globally downscale synaptic strength, that restores cellular homeostasis and allows the synapsis available for future encoding. We hypothesize that a short nap can positively impact cognition in older adults, improving memory encoding. Here we will discuss preliminary data of the impact of a daytime nap before declarative memory encoding in older adults.