Sleep and spatial cognition: How sleep relates to spatial memory and wayfinding

The thesis presents a systematic review of the literature examining the association between sleep, spatial memory, and wayfinding. The first section provides the theoretical background by introducing sleep as a biological process and the main components of spatial cognition, including spatial memory, cognitive maps, route and survey knowledge, and wayfinding. The second section describes the methodology of the systematic review, including the literature search strategy and eligibility criteria. Relevant studies involving healthy adults were identified through systematic searches of Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed and included randomized controlled trials, correlational studies, and other peer-reviewed publications written in English. The following section presents and discusses the findings of the reviewed studies, while the final section summarizes the main conclusions. Overall, the reviewed evidence suggests an association between sleep and the consolidation of spatial memory. In contrast, the relationship between sleep and wayfinding appears less consistent, with findings varying according to the experimental paradigm, navigation strategy, and the specific spatial processes assessed. Taken together, the available evidence highlights the importance of distinguishing between different components of spatial cognition when interpreting current findings and advancing our understanding of the relationship between sleep, spatial memory, and wayfinding.