Does sleep contribute to the consolidation of motor memory? A literature review

Background It has been assumed that sleep promotes consolidation in motor learning; however, some publications have questioned its supposed effect. Differentiated statements on the subject are difficult because the conglomerate of influencing factors is large. The fact that memory, sleep, consolidation and motor task can be considered generic terms for different processes also contributes to the complexity. Objective The aim of this literature overview is to clarify the terminology and to describe what is known about how sleep contributes to the consolidation of motor memory regarding the different characteristics of consolidation and motor tasks. Methods A first literature screening in PubMed included the terms consolidation, sleep, memory, motor learning and memory in various combinations. Furthermore, keywords describing distinct parts of the generic terms were used for searching. Results The current evidence for the dependency of the different neurophysiological characteristics of the generic terms on sleep is presented including resulting contradictions and methodological criticism. Based on the literature, the question whether sleep promotes consolidation can only be answered in reductionist approaches and for individual influencing factors. The results even suggest that improvements in exercise quality may have been achieved through errors in study design, which, however, may lead to recommendations for future studies. Conclusion No final statement can be made on the subject at this time; however, at least it can be considered as evidence-based that sleep does not harm motor memory consolidation.

Automated summary

The impact of sleep on the consolidation of motor memory remains controversial, with publications presenting different views and highlighting methodological issues in research. Reasons for the difficulty in understanding include numerous influencing factors and complexity in terminology.