During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake – but only during the first half of a night's sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists.
May 2 2024University College London During sleep, the brain weakens the new connections between neurons that had been forged while awake – but only during the first half of a night's sleep, according to a new study in fish by UCL scientists.
The researchers say the study supports the Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis, a key theory on the purpose of sleep which proposes that sleeping acts as a reset for the brain. While the function of sleep remains mysterious, it may be serving as an 'off-line' period when those connections can be weakened across the brain, in preparation for us to learn new things the following day." For the study, the scientists used optically translucent zebrafish, with genes enabling synapses to be easily imaged. The research team monitored the fish over several sleep-wake cycles.
Related StoriesProfessor Rihel added: "If the patterns we observed hold true in humans, our findings suggest that this remodelling of synapses might be less effective during a mid-day nap, when sleep pressure is still low, rather than at night, when we really need the sleep."
Sleep Cell Developmental Biology Fish Neurons Research
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