Researchers have discovered the thalamus plays a crucial role in the development of normal sleep and waking states.
Researchers say a new discovery about the pathways associated with consciousness contradicts conventional belief. The study reports the thalamus is not a critical part of the brain's pathway involved in wakefulness and consciousness, a finding that could help develop better methods for treating comas.
In pregnant women and mice, the daily schedule shifts a few hours forward during the first trimester. Activity levels also dip during this time. The advance of the daily schedule stabilizes, before gradually returning to normal during later stages of pregnancy.