Neurons in the brainstem suppress unwanted movements during REM sleep in mice, a new study reports.
When a child reaches the age of two-and-a-half, the primary purpose of sleep changes from brain-building to brain maintenance and repair, a role it maintains for the rest of our lives.
Using EEG to measure REM sleep allowed scientists to distinguish dreaming from wakefulness.
Suppressing the activity of hypothalamic neurons in mice during REM sleep resulted in a decrease in the amount of food later consumed. The study suggests REM sleep is essential to stabilize food intake.
During non-REM sleep, visual areas of the brain exhibit an excitation/inhibition balance indicative of increased plasticity. REM sleep appears to be essential for people to reap the benefits of the increased plasticity that occurs during NREM sleep.
Couples who sleep next to one another have increased REM sleep and less disrupted sleep than couples who slept individually.
Hippocampal adult-born neurons are responsible for memory consolidation during REM sleep.
Adult born neurons are essential for synaptic structural remodeling and memory consolidation during REM sleep, a new mouse study found.
PTPδ, a synaptic adhesion molecule, regulates synaptic development and sleep behavior in mouse models.
The brain tunes out information from the outside world, such as the sound of speech, during REM sleep. During light sleep, the brain prioritizes meaningful speech, just as it does during a wakeful state. Researchers believe the mechanism enables the brain to protect the dreaming phase, which is essential for memory consolidation.
Monitoring sleep spindles in sheep may one day translate to sleep based diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases in humans.
Reward does not improve visual perception learning unless it is followed by a good night's sleep.
