Their study is the cover story of the April 26 issue of Neuron. The elaboration and refinement of neural circuitry also goes on to a lesser extent in the adult brain. The process of growth, or plasticity, is thought to underlie the brain's capacity to control behavior, including learning and memory.
Plasticity happens when neurons are stimulated by events or information.
During their study, the researchers studied the effect of sleep on brain plasticity after cats went through an environmental challenge. They figured out that animals allowed to sleep for six hours after the period of environmental stimulation developed double the amount of brain change as those cats that were kept awake during that time. The animals that were allowed to sleep also had slightly more brain change than the animals whose environmental challenge continued during the additional six hours. Although the study mainly focused on the impact of sleep on neuronal remodeling during the critical period for visual development in the cats, the researchers believe that the finding can be applied to other areas, not just plasticity during development in other brain structures, but for plasticity in the adult brain. If this proves to be true, sleep could end up being an important part of the strategy for preparing for mental challenges like exams.