Memory neurons lull us to sleep in order to consolidate what we've learned, say researchers from Brandeis University in the US, who advise students against pulling all-nighters to prepare for tests.
Knowing that sleep, memory and learning are deeply intertwined, the Brandeis team set out to find out whether memory is consolidated during sleep simply because the brain happens to be at rest or whether those neurons provoke sleep in order to do their job.
In the study, which was published in the journal eLife, the researchers focused on a specific group of neurons called the dorsal paired medial (DPM), which are well known to implant memories in fruit flies.
Read the full coverage at MSN or the original research article.
