Longer Study Breaks Help You Remember More, Study Claims

Spread the love

Brain News: Expanded time intervals between individual learning events is helpful in retaining the knowledge for a longer time. Longer examine breaks result in extra steady activation patterns in mind.

A lot of students pull nighters before the exam and try to grab maximum information into their brains. But, the knowledge gained in this manner is temporary. By taking longer study breaks one can counteract this forgetting.

Annet Glas and Pieter Goltstein, neurobiologists in the team of Mark Hübener and Tobias Bonhoeffer, investigated how taking breaks benefits memory in mice. The animals had to remember the position of a hidden chocolate piece in a maze. In this maze test, the animals got three consecutive opportunities to explore the maze and find the reward including breaks of varying lengths.

“Mice that were trained with the longer intervals between learning phases were not able to remember the position of the chocolate as quickly,” explains Annet Glas. “But on the next day, the longer the pauses, the better was the mice’s memory.”

During the test, the researchers additionally measured the activity of neurons in the prefrontal cortex – the brain region associated with learning processes and complex thinking tasks. Scientists found that inactivation of the prefrontal cortex impaired the mice’s performance in the maze.

The research team compared the neuronal activity during different learning phases and found that the activation pattern in the brain fluctuated more in brief pauses than lengthy pauses: In fast successive learning phases, the mice activated mostly different neurons. When taking longer breaks, the same neurons active during the first learning phase were used again later.
Reactivating the same neurons allows the brain to strengthen the connections between these cells in every learning phase eliminating the need to begin from scratch and set up the contacts first. “That’s why we believe that memory benefits from longer breaks,” stated Pieter Goltstein.

The study findings highlight the constructive importance of taking studying breaks. With longer breaks, we might need more time to accomplish our task, however, benefits from our information and knowledge for much longer.

To Know More, You May Refer To:

Annet Glas, Mark Hübener, Tobias Bonhoeffer, Pieter M. Goltstein. Spaced training enhances memory and prefrontal ensemble stability in mice. Current Biology, 2021; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.085


Spread the love

Leave a Reply

  • Food Smells Enable Time Travel: Study Finds

    Food Smells Enable Time Travel: Study Finds

    Researchers provided insights into the characteristics of “food memories”.

  • Maternal Depression Affects The Child’s Ability To Speak: Study Finds

    Maternal Depression Affects The Child’s Ability To Speak: Study Finds

    Researchers explored how maternal depression influences a child’s ability to…

  • Spending Time In Blue Spaces Boosts Mental Health: Study Finds

    Spending Time In Blue Spaces Boosts Mental Health: Study Finds

    Researchers explored how spending time in blue spaces boosts mental…

  • Beyond The Potterverse: How Tom Felton’s Mental Health Issues Shed Light On Drug Use

    Beyond The Potterverse: How Tom Felton’s Mental Health Issues Shed Light On Drug Use

    How actor Tom Felton’s autobiography explores his mental health battle…

  • Families Who Eat Together Are Less Stressed, Survey Confirms

    Families Who Eat Together Are Less Stressed, Survey Confirms

    Science provides insights into the psychological benefits of regular mealtimes…

  • Baby Talk Is Similar Across Different Languages: Study Finds

    Baby Talk Is Similar Across Different Languages: Study Finds

    Researchers explored the similarities in baby talk across different languages.

  • Counting Steps Lowers The Risk Of Chronic Diseases: Study Finds

    Counting Steps Lowers The Risk Of Chronic Diseases: Study Finds

    Researchers explored how counting steps reduces the risk of chronic…

  • Children Who Tell Blunt Truths Are Generally Judged Harshly: Study Claims

    Children Who Tell Blunt Truths Are Generally Judged Harshly: Study Claims

    Researchers provide insights into how adults judge children’s habit of…

  • Netflix’s “The Good Nurse” Reveals Charles Cullen’s Mental Illness

    Netflix’s “The Good Nurse” Reveals Charles Cullen’s Mental Illness

    Besides glimpses into a serial killer’s psychology, Netflix’s The Good…

  • Do Women Have A Better Vocabulary Than Men? Surprising Study Finds

    Do Women Have A Better Vocabulary Than Men? Surprising Study Finds

    Researchers examined the gender differences in cognitive abilities between men…

  • The Fear Of Negative Outcomes Decreases When You Are Aware Of Potential Dangers: Study

    The Fear Of Negative Outcomes Decreases When You Are Aware Of Potential Dangers: Study

    Researchers shed light on the psychology behind the fear of…

  • Does Photo-Taking Help Students Better Remember Online Lessons?

    Does Photo-Taking Help Students Better Remember Online Lessons?

    Researchers explored whether photo-taking helps students remember information better in…

  • The Inspiring Story Of Matthew Perry’s Addiction And Recovery

    The Inspiring Story Of Matthew Perry’s Addiction And Recovery

    How actor Matthew Perry’s new memoir chronicled his victory over…

  • Does Reducing Screen Time Make You More Productive?

    Does Reducing Screen Time Make You More Productive?

    American researchers explored the association between reducing screen time and…

  • Sedentary Lifestyle: Effects Of Social Interactions On Physical Activity

    Sedentary Lifestyle: Effects Of Social Interactions On Physical Activity

    Researchers examined how social interactions influence physical fitness.

  • Learning How To Learn Makes You Less Forgetful: Study Finds

    Learning How To Learn Makes You Less Forgetful: Study Finds

    Researchers provide insights into the effectiveness of the spacing and…

  • Dogs Can Smell Stress In Humans: Study Finds

    Dogs Can Smell Stress In Humans: Study Finds

    Researchers provided insights into how dogs can smell stress in…

  • Mental Health Of Housewives In India: The Uknown Facts

    Mental Health Of Housewives In India: The Uknown Facts

    Experts delve into the poor mental health experienced by homemakers…

  • Are Halloween and Mental Health Stigma Linked?

    Are Halloween and Mental Health Stigma Linked?

    Experts debate the association between Halloween and mental health.

  • Can A Stressful Job Make You Depressed?

    Can A Stressful Job Make You Depressed?

    Researchers explored the mental health effects of stressful jobs and…

  • Is It Beneficial To Eat Fruits For Mental Health?

    Is It Beneficial To Eat Fruits For Mental Health?

    Researchers explored how eating fruits for mental health can yield…

  • Did You Know News Addiction Damages Mental Health?

    Did You Know News Addiction Damages Mental Health?

    Researchers explored the ill effects of internet news addiction.

  • Do High-Fat Diets Shrink The Brain? Study Reveals

    Do High-Fat Diets Shrink The Brain? Study Reveals

    Researchers explored the long-term consequences of high-fat diets.

  • Why Emotion Regulation In Schizophrenia Is So Difficult? Study Finds

    Why Emotion Regulation In Schizophrenia Is So Difficult? Study Finds

    Research provides insights into emotion regulation abnormalities in schizophrenia.

  • Can PTSD Service Dogs Improve Mental Health In Military Veterans?

    Can PTSD Service Dogs Improve Mental Health In Military Veterans?

    Researchers explore how service dogs improve mental health conditions in…

  • How To Soothe A Crying Baby? New Study Reveals

    How To Soothe A Crying Baby? New Study Reveals

    Researchers explored effective ways to soothe a crying baby, especially…

  • Hustle Culture: Why We Should Stop Idolizing The “Rise And Shine” Mindset?

    Hustle Culture: Why We Should Stop Idolizing The “Rise And Shine” Mindset?

    Experts highlight the mental health effects of hustle culture.