Page 183 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

Regain an Agile Brain • 167

memory. One research study used mice to explore the learn-
ing process. When mice were introduced to a new environ-
ment, the hippocampus’ nerve cells began firing. That night,
while the mice were in non-REM sleep, the neurons in the
hippocampus began to fire again in the same pattern expe-
rienced earlier in the day, but in shorter, faster bursts. And
like an echo from a canyon wall, the cortex responded with
neurons firing in a responsive similar pattern. 4
In Chapter 4, you learned that patients under the influ-
ence of anesthesia and exposed to word associations on a
recording could recall a statistically significant number of
the associations. Another study involved participants who
learned a complex logic task while an auditory signal, a
clicking noise, occurred in the background. During REM
sleep after the learning experience, some members of the
group were re-exposed to the clicking noise and some were
not. Those exposed to the same auditory stimuli during REM
sleep retained the information 23 percent better than the
group that did not hear the clicking noise during REM sleep.
Do you remember the theory of playing records while you
sleep to learn a foreign language or other material? The pro-
cessing of information continues while we are asleep. So, not
only do we process events we have experienced throughout
the day, but we can subconsciously add to these memories.
Many health professionals recommend that loved ones talk
to unconscious patients with words of encouragement and
support to aid the healing process. And how many of us
have soothed a fretful baby back to sleep before he fully wak-
ens by whispering words of love and comfort?
As we age, many people experience a disruption of nat-
ural rhythms, especially sleep patterns. We also experience
changes in our alertness rhythm, especially men. This could
be related to the fact that men experience shorter REM cycles,
wake up more frequently, and experience less slow-wave
sleep. Women do not seem to suffer as much disruption as
men. Another change in natural rhythms accounts for a shift
in sleeping times. Elders tend to be more alert in the morning
and become drowsier in the afternoon. 5