Sleep in children enhances preferentially emotional declarative but not procedural memories

J Exp Child Psychol. 2009 Sep;104(1):132-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2009.01.005. Epub 2009 Feb 28.

Abstract

Although the consolidation of several memory systems is enhanced by sleep in adults, recent studies suggest that sleep supports declarative memory but not procedural memory in children. In the current study, the influence of sleep on emotional declarative memory (recognition task) and procedural memory (mirror tracing task) in 20 healthy children (10-13 years of age) was examined. After sleep, children showed an improvement in declarative memory. Separate analysis with respect to the emotional stimulus content revealed that sleep enhances the recognition of emotional stimuli (p>.001) rather than neutral stimuli (p=.084). In the procedural task, however, no sleep-enhanced memory improvement was observed. The results indicate that sleep in children, comparable to adults, enhances predominantly emotional declarative memory; however, in contrast to adults, it has no effect on the consolidation of procedural memory.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Emotions*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory*
  • Mental Recall
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Recognition, Psychology
  • Sleep / physiology*
  • Task Performance and Analysis