Sleep's memory role discovered

The mechanism by which a good night's sleep improves learning and memory has been discovered by scientists.

The team in China and the US used advanced microscopy to witness new connections between brain cells - synapses - forming during sleep.

Their study, published in the journal Science, showed even intense training could not make up for lost sleep.

Experts said it was an elegant and significant study, which uncovered the mechanisms of memory.

It is well known that sleep plays an important role in memory and learning. But what actually happens inside the brain has been a source of considerable debate.

Researchers at New York University School of Medicine and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School trained mice in a new skill - walking on top of a rotating rod.

They then looked inside the living brain with a microscope to see what happened when the animals were either sleeping or sleep deprived.

Their study showed that sleeping mice formed significantly more new connections between neurons - they were learning more.

And by disrupting specific phases of sleep, the research group showed deep or slow-wave sleep was necessary for memory formation.

During this stage, the brain was "replaying" the activity from earlier in the day.

Prof Wen-Biao Gan, from New York University, told the BBC: "Finding out sleep promotes new connections between neurons is new, nobody knew this before.

"We thought sleep helped, but it could have been other causes, and we show it really helps to make connections and that in sleep the brain is not quiet, it is replaying what happened during the day and it seems quite important for making the connections."

Analysis

This is just the latest piece of science to highlight the importance of sleep.

A new reason for sleep was discovered last year when experiments showed the brain used sleep to wash away waste toxins built up during a hard day's thinking.

However, there are concerns that people are not getting enough sleep.

As part of the BBC's Day of the Body Clock, Prof Russell Foster argued that society had become "supremely arrogant" in ignoring the importance of sleep, leading to "serious health problems".

These include:

cancer
heart disease
type-2 diabetes
infections
obesity

The reward for more sleep, Prof Foster argues, is we would all be "better human beings."

BBC Body Clock: What makes you tick

BBC Science: Sleep

Further tests showed how significant sleep was.

Mice doing up to an hour's training followed by sleep were compared with mice training intensively for three hours but then sleep deprived.

The difference was still stark, with the sleepers performing better and the brain forming more new connections.

Prof Gan added: "One of the implications is for kids studying, if you want to remember something for long periods you need these connections.

"So it is probably better to study and have good sleep rather than keep studying."

Commenting on the findings, Dr Raphaelle Winsky-Sommerer, from the University of Surrey, told the BBC: "This is very impressive, carefully crafted and using a combination of exquisite techniques to identify the underlying mechanisms of memory.

"They provide the cellular mechanism of how sleep contributes to dealing with experiences during the day.

"Basically it tells you sleep promotes new synaptic connections, so preserve your sleep."

6 June 2014
By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Units of facts invariably distort the truth(space)
Time is a measure of the distortion of space.

Plan to Fallback
Bottom line is the earth no matter how high you go so ensure there is a soft landing directly below you wherever you are.
Warmth, solid ground, shelter, water, food ensure these are here for you and you alone that you can share, not here for some misalignment to dependency or responsibility to share. Share only what is yours not that which is not.

The earth belongs to no-one but your work on it is yours to share. Do not confuse the work you are free to share with that of the produce you take from the earth.
Your security is your independence so work at being on warm ground where you can catch the rain. Do not work to earn a living or a killing as no one will pay you to look after yourself, work directly for your comforts.

Of relative size and origin

Origin: Bricks and blocks are manufactured whereas stones and rocks are not; pretty obvious if you speak English.

Size: Relative to both categories. In the first: bricks are small enough to be picked up by the average hand: whereas two hands would usually be used to lift a block; now apply this test respectively to stones and rocks.

Simples!

Specsavers: Dumbos and deceitful

Vision Express: Clever, understanding and polite. Given the problem I have, mentioned below about the bridge measurement and subsequent weight, the manager also acknowledge that the lens could have been thinner and has offered me a new pair free.

The Old Glasses Shop : 01434 221122 : Round glasses by Renaissance
Bought four of these only to find the bridge measurement is out of sync with common UK standards, which is the minimum width between the lenses. This measurement goes from half the width of the rims that holds each lens. This model, although sold as 19mm works out at 23mm. This extra width means the optical centres are off by 4mm resulting in extra thickening of the lens to accommodate the fitting.

Show images here ....

This only became apparent when I had the prescriptions fitted and became a big problem with the higher optics, resulting in spectacles that weighed 65g. As I had three pairs made up, at a cost of £600, the suppliers have credited me two pairs and I returned the unused one.

This credit of approx £240 will cover a new Saville row frame. Details to follow.
Saville Row: 18k Shiny Rolled Gold 22/40

Saville Row 0208 985 5466 (9am to 4pm)

How I got to buy this model

Saddle compensation

A bit of a mystery as! it would seem, the twelth fret should be halfway along the string to provide forman octave higher.

The theory is that a shorter string i.e. half the length would vibrate higher than an octave as under the same tension it would be stiffer. This applies moreso to thicker strings. So the saddle is moved a bit further frm the 12th to compensate. Ideally each string would have it's own adjustable saddle, which is the case on many electric guitars; on acoustic's this isn't employed, which is regretable and questionable.

On the Taylor C356CE the 'tusk' saddle is elaborately moulded for each string

The 12th fret is 12.75" (12&24/32nds) from the nut, the distances from the 12th fret to the saddle are:

E (1&2) are exactly 12.75"
G (5) is 1/32nd longer
E (11) is 2/32nds longer

Still the guitar cannot be tuned very well, the compensation does not give an octave at 12th fret. There is a question as to the age of the strings and if they have stretched un-uniformly.

The other is inherent in the nut also has a similar effect and stiffens the end of the string when played open, apparently the nut is often set back an extra mil to compensate but not variable as in the saddle ????