Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel'nosti imeni I

There is a strongly held opinion that one of the most important functions of sleep is its involvement in the formation of memories The standard test for studies of learning and memory processes in animals is the Morris water test Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Consolidation of Spatial Memory in Rats after 1032 Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel'nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 322-331, May-June, 2011. Original article submitted December 24, 2009. Accepted October 18, 2010. The effects of sleep deprivation produced using a carousel method on the consolidation of spatial memory were studied in rats (male Wistar rats) after one-day training using the Frick et al. protocol (2000) in a Morris water maze. Data were obtained providing evidence that the memory trace after rapid 3-h training was retained for one day. Sleep deprivation for 24 h after training prevented reinforcement (consolidation) of spatial memory. The results led to the conclusion that a model based on one-day training can be used to study the neurophysiological and neurochemical mechanisms of the effects of sleep deprivation on consolidation of spatial memory