Page 182 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

166 • Chapter 6

Cerebral cortex

Thalamus

Awake

Pons

Non REM
Spinal
cord

REM

Figure 6-2 Different types of sleep

memories are formed for events such as the vacation you
took, people you visited, and conversations you had, also re-
quires REM sleep for consolidation of information.
Recall from earlier chapters that REM sleep makes it pos-
sible to transfer new learning to long-term memory. REM
sleep occurs earlier and lasts longer for individuals who
have participated in intense learning experiences. REM
sleep is a required part of the learning process during which
the brain’s memories are replayed and compacted to con-
serve space. This allows the brain to conserve space more ef-
ficiently. As a point of interest, animals that do not possess
the capability for REM sleep, like dolphins, have dispropor-
tionately larger brains.
The hippocampus also becomes involved as potential
memories encountered during the day and determined to
be important enough to store are transferred to long-term