Neural mechanisms of sleep-dependent motor learning revealed in new study on brain injury rehabilitation

The article, "Neural mechanisms associated with sleep-dependent enhancement of motor learning after brain injury," was first published in the Journal of Sleep Research on September 29, 2024. The study was led by Kessler Foundation researchers Anthony H. Lequerica, PhD, with additional authors Tien T. Tong, PhD, Paige Rusnock, Kai Sucich, Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, Ekaterina Dobryakova, PhD, and Matthew R. Ebben, PhD, and Patrick Chau, from Weill Cornell Medicine, New York.

The study involved 32 individuals with TBI, randomly assigned to either a sleep or wake group following training on a motor task. The sleep group had a 45-minute nap, while the wake group remained awake, watching a documentary. The research focused on the improvement in performance and the neural mechanisms involved, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results showed that the sleep group exhibited significant gains in motor performance compared to the wake group, with corresponding changes in brain activity that suggest sleep-dependent automatization of the motor task.

"This study highlights the power of sleep, even a short nap, in enhancing motor learning for individuals with brain injury," said lead author Dr. Lequerica, senior research scientist in the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research and director of the Brain Injury and Behavioral Outcomes Laboratory. "Our fMRI data suggest that motor tasks practiced before a nap become more automated during sleep. By decreasing activation in key brain regions, such as the anterior cingulate and cerebellum, napping may facilitate a smoother, less effortful retrieval of learned motor sequences."

This process of automatization could be essential for helping patients regain functional abilities more effectively. The research results highlight the potential for incorporating napping protocols into rehabilitation programs to maximize the effects of motor skill training for individuals with brain injuries.