Motor memory under sleep deprivation: Can physical exercise support consolidation?

Abstract Sleep deprivation (SD) is increasingly prevalent and known to impair declarative memory, yet its impacts on the acquisition and consolidation of procedural skills remains unknown. Physical exercise has emerged as a promising intervention for promoting learning and plasticity, but its potential to mitigate SD-induced deficits has never been tested. Here, we investigated whether SD disrupts sequential motor learning (SML) and whether high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) performed after acquisition can influence consolidation. Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups combining one night of SD or normal sleep condition with HIIE or control intervention. SD elevated cortisol and sleepiness without affecting brain-derived neurotrophic factor or corticospinal excitability. Behaviorally, SD selectively impaired the movement time execution of SML acquisition, while HIIE reduced the movement accuracy during consolidation, regardless of sleep condition. These findings reveal a component-specific vulnerability of procedural memory to SD and challenge the assumption that exercise consistently enhances consolidation following motor learning.