REM sleep and information processing: Evidence from animal studies

Abstract

Animal studies relating REM sleep to information processing were reviewed. With several tasks, increased REM sleep following training was found in rats and cats. Deprivation of REM sleep after training in these situations impaired retention. Deprivation of REM sleep before training impaired assimilation of new information in rats and mice, perhaps by altering neurochemical factors involved in modulation of the memory trace. Some species differences among rats, cats and mice in the involvement of REM sleep in information processing were discussed. Finally, the relation of information processing to other hypothetical functions of REM sleep was considered.