Worms Forget Smells if They Lose Sleep, Study Shows

Humans and worms may seem to not have much in common but according to a recent study, it seems they share at least one trait – both need a good night’s sleep to keep their memories sharp. 

When scientists trained roundworms to avoid a sweet scent they remembered their training for up to 16 hours, according to a recent study published in Cell. Their memories failed, however, if their sleep cycle after the training was disrupted. 

“This brings cellular resolution to a question that’s ancient,” study co-author Noelle L’etoile told Nature. The study gives new insights into what the actual purpose of sleep is, according to L’etoile. 

Scientists conducted the experiment by training the worms to ignore a usually pleasurable sweet smell. The worms who had uninterrupted sleep continued to ignore the smell for up to 16 hours, while the sleep-deprived ones did not retain the information. 

Roundworms are among the most cellularly simple animals and scientists have mapped all the neural connections and synapses. Having this degree of knowledge allowed researchers to study exactly how the worms’ synapses changed while they slept. 

Conducting the study was not without its challenges – particularly because it’s pretty difficult to actually know when a worm is asleep. Eventually the team figured out that “the little worms become straight with just a little crook where their head is,” according to L’etoile.