Paradoxical sleep deprivation applied two days after end of training retards learning.

Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 98) were trained in a 2-way shuttle shock avoidance task (50 trials/day for two consecutive days) and then subjected to a paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) regime beginning at least 24 hours after the last training session. Results from the various PSD groups indicated that a vulnerable PS window exists from 48-72 hours after the end of the last training session. PSD during this time period produced severe retention deficits. These results suggest the existence of a very long term posttraining PS involvement in the learning/memory process.