Brain weakens neuronal connections while you sleep, but only during first half
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New research published in the journal Nature has revealed that our brain weakens new connections between cells, or neuronswhen awake during the first half of a night's sleep.
The study carried out on zebrafish, discovered that while awake, the connections between neurons get stronger and more complex, but if the activity continued without interruptions, it would be 'energetically unsustainable.'
What did the study reveal?
"Too many active connections between brain cells could prevent new connections from being made the following day. 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," Jason Rihel the lead author of the study from the University College London, UK, said.
How did theresearchers conduct this study?
The researchers reached the result by studying optically transparent zebrafish over multiple sleep-wake cycles.
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WhyZebrafish?
Zebrafishcontained genes that allowed the connections between neurons known as synapses, to be easily seen. The researchers observed that connections between brain cells were formed during awake hours and subsequently destroyed during sleep.
Additionally, they discovered that this was contingent upon the animal developing a "need for sleep," or sleep pressure, before being permitted to rest. The researchers discovered that when the fish were deprived of sleep for a few more hours, the connections between neurons increased until the fish fell asleep.
"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," Rihel added.
The rearranging of connections that occurs during the first half of the animal's night sleep mimics the pattern of slow-wave activity, which is highest at the start of the night, according to the researchers.
Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis
The findings endorse the Synaptic Homeostasis Hypothesis, which states that sleep functions as a 'reset' for the brain. "There are other theories around sleep being a time for waste clearance in the brain, or repair for damaged cells - perhaps other functions kick in for the second half of the night," Anya, the first author of the study said.
