A new study has recently shown that being rewarded during learning can help consolidate memory of knowledge and skills, and when combined with the daytime nap effect, even a short sleep after learning can make the effect even more pronounced, this study suggests that using rewards to consolidate memory can be enhanced by sleep. The study, led by researchers at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, was published in the international academic journal elife. In the study, 31 healthy participants were randomly divided into two groups, one “asleep” and the other “awake,” and were assessed to be equally sensitive to rewards. The researchers gave the participants eight sets of pictures and told them that they would receive a higher reward if they memorized a particular four of them, and while they were memorizing the pictures, the researchers scanned the participants’ brains. For the next 90 minutes, while both groups slept or rested, the researchers tested their memory skills and asked them to rate their confidence in their ability to answer the questions correctly. The researchers then gave the participants the exact same pop quiz three months later. The results showed that both groups did better at memorizing the higher reward pictures, but the “sleep” group did the best of all. Surprisingly, in the pop quiz three months later, the participants who had gotten sleep after the study remembered the higher reward pictures exceptionally well. In addition, participants in the “sleep” group were more confident in answering questions correctly during the quiz, even three months later. MRI scans showed that the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory formation, was more active in the “sleep” group, and after three months, the hippocampus was more strongly connected to the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum, which are responsible for memory consolidation and reward processes. The link between the hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex and the striatum, which are responsible for memory consolidation and reward processes, was stronger. This study has important implications for how to improve human learning and memory.