Monday, August 27, 2012

Fascinating

I love the experimental design.  Clever, clever.

Sleep Learning Is Possible: Associations Formed When Asleep Remained Intact When Awake
Is sleep learning possible? A new Weizmann Institute study appearing August 26 in Nature Neuroscience has found that if certain odors are presented after tones during sleep, people will start sniffing when they hear the tones alone -- even when no odor is present -- both during sleep and, later, when awake. In other words, people can learn new information while they sleep, and this can unconsciously modify their waking behavior.