20 readings with original sources
Brain, sleep and memory
Sleep, memory and attention come up in many conversations, but studies do not all measure them in the same way. This collection brings together research to explore those questions more closely.
What to look for in these studies
A memory test, a sleep recording and a brain image describe different things. Each reading separates the study's measurements from possible explanations and claims the evidence cannot support. This is educational content, not a way to diagnose sleep or memory problems.
- How did researchers measure sleep, attention or memory?
- How long did the observation last?
- Does the result concern a specific test or everyday life?
Explore the research
- Reappraisal and distraction eased feelings similarly, but with different patterns of attention
- A phone sound slowed responses by about three milliseconds
- People who reached deeper sleep were more likely to find the hidden rule
- While viewing an image, the brain represented the next category
- Before attention lapsed, slow waves like those in sleep appeared
- Future scenes imagined from rewarded words felt somewhat more vivid
- Models that store summaries reproduced several human memory errors
- More money at stake did not make visual memory more accurate
- Learning German for six months was associated with brain changes
- Six months of piano or music listening: no piano advantage was seen
- Exercise, challenges, and social activity improved a memory test
- Pain was lower with placebo, but one brain signal did not follow
- When people heard happy or fearful music, auditory areas did not act alone
- After guiding a brain signal, a connection changed the next day
- Accurately noticing a heartbeat showed no link to momentary anxiety
- Videos with more movement can feel longer
- An alpha rhythm already pointed to the attended side before the target appeared
- More confidence after choosing, but similar accuracy when remembering
- The brains of hearing-aid users showed which voice they were attending to
- Block practice was faster during training, but varied practice performed better later