一項最新研究發(fā)現(xiàn),，老年人在深度睡眠時的腦電波協(xié)調(diào)性更差，這可能影響了他們存儲記憶的能力,。雖然這些只是初步研究結(jié)果,，但科學家們認為，這可能是解釋為什么即使未患阿爾茨海默癥和老年癡呆等病癥的老年人也很難保存短期記憶的關鍵,。

這篇論文的作者之一,、加州大學伯克利分校的神經(jīng)學與心理學教授馬特·沃克告訴NPR：“就像是一名鼓手錯過了一個節(jié)拍。老年人的大腦似乎無法有效同步腦電波,?！?

這項研究要求20名年輕成年人學習120對單詞，然后研究他們在睡眠時的大腦活動,，主要是慢波和快波之間的相互作用,。第二天早上測試他們記住了多少對單詞。在兩種腦電波完美保持一致的時候,，記憶效果最佳,。而對60和70歲年齡段的32人進行的類似測試顯示，兩種腦電波的同步化失敗,，導致大腦無法存儲記憶,。

科學家們表示，為了確認研究結(jié)果,，他們需要在年輕人的大腦中復制這種失敗,，確認它們是否會對記憶力產(chǎn)生類似影響。

下面是好消息： 如果這種理論最終得到證實,，研究人員表示,，他們認為通過透過頭皮的電磁脈沖，有可能使腦電波重新同步化,，改善老年人的記憶,。

這將對近500億美元的睡眠輔助行業(yè)（Research and Markets預測到2022年將達到800億美元）帶來破壞，包括睡眠跟蹤儀器到200美元的高科技睡衣。

改善睡眠模式不止有益于老年人,，還能給職場帶來幫助,。2016年的一項研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，美國工作者的睡眠不足每年造成約4,110億美元的經(jīng)濟損失和120萬個工作日損失,。（財富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

A new study finds that older people have less brain wave coordination in deep sleep—and that could be affecting their ability to store memories. While the results are still preliminary, scientists say this could be key to explaining why seniors sometimes have trouble retaining short-term memories even when they’re free of conditions like Alzheimer’s and dementia.

“It’s like a drummer that’s perhaps just one beat off the rhythm,” Matt Walker, one of the paper’s authors and a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley tells NPR. “The aging brain just doesn’t seem to be able to synchronize its brain waves effectively.”

The study had 20 young adults learn 120 pairs of words, then studied their brains as they slept, focusing on the interaction between slow and fast waves. The next morning, they were tested to see how many pairs they remembered. When waves coincided ideally, memories were sharp. A similar test of 32 people in their 60s and 70s showed that misfires in that synchronization prevented memories from being stored.

To confirm the findings, scientists say they’ll need to reproduce the misfires in younger brains to see if it affects their memories similarly.

Here’s the good news: If the theory is proven conclusively, researchers say they believe it’s possible to resync the brain waves and improve older memories, possibly by applying electrical or magnetic pulses through the scalp.

That could disrupt the nearly $50 billion sleep aid industry (which Research and Markets says will hit $80 billion by 2022), which ranges from sleep tracking gadgets to $200, high tech PJs.

Improved sleep patterns could move beyond seniors and help the workplace too. A 2016 study found that the lack of sleep among U.S. workers is costing roughly $411 billion and losing 1.2 million work days per year.