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Sleep is important for survival, and the need for sleep is conserved across species. In the past two decades, the fruit flyDrosophila melanogasterhas emerged as a promising system in which to study the genetic, neural, and physiological bases of sleep. Through significant advances in our understanding of the regulation of sleep in flies, the field is poised to address several open questions about sleep, such as how the need for sleep is encoded, how molecular regulators of sleep are situated within brain networks, and what the functions of sleep are. Here, we describe key findings, open questions, and commonly used methods that have been used to inform existing theories and develop new ways of thinking about the function, regulation, and adaptability of sleep behavior.
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The role of naps in memory and executive functioning in early childhood.
While sleep, including naps, has been shown to benefit many cognitive functions in adults, understanding whether naps are beneficial in early childhood has important translational implications. Here we review recent studies which, collectively, suggest that naps indeed benefit cognition at this age. Specifically, declarative, motor, and emotional memory are better if a nap follows learning. Executive functions such as attention and emotion processing are likewise better following sleep. However, a better understanding of the mechanism supporting these benefits and the generalizability to other forms of learning and executive functions is necessary. It is important for future research to extend such findings, which may promote the use of naps to support early education, particularly for learning-impaired children.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1749280
- PAR ID:
- 10251344
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advances in child development and behavior
- Volume:
- 30
- ISSN:
- 0065-2407
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 139-158
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2020.08.004
