Text 1: Biologist Morgan argues that sleep is essential for memory consolidation. During non-REM sleep, the brain replays the day's experiences, strengthening neural connections and integrating new information into long-term memory. Sleep-deprived subjects perform worse on memory tests, supporting this view.
Text 2: Neuroscientist Jensen agrees that sleep helps memory but challenges the idea that consolidation is sleep's primary function. Sleep, she notes, is universal across animals with very different memory systems, including those with little learning capacity. The deeper purpose, Jensen suggests, may be metabolic — clearing toxic byproducts from the brain.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- A
whether sleep affects memory.
- Bcheck_circle
whether memory consolidation is sleep's primary function.
- C
whether sleep deprivation has any effects.
- D
whether sleep occurs in animals.
Explanation
Both accept that sleep affects memory and is universal in animals. They disagree on whether memory consolidation is sleep's primary function. B captures the dispute.