NREM sleep EEG activity and procedural memory: A comparison between young neurotypical and autistic adults without sleep complaints

Abstract

Slow EEG waves recorded from the scalp during sleep are thought to facilitate learning and memory during daytime. We compared these EEG waves in young autistic adults to typically-developing young adults. We found less slow EEG waves in the ASD group and the pattern of relationship with memory differed between groups. This suggests atypicalities in the way sleep mechanisms are associated with learning and performance in a sensory-motor procedural memory task in ASD individuals.