The brain reboots at night, scientists have discovered

A team of scientists from University College London has discovered that nighttime sleep plays a key role in resetting the brain, allowing neural connections to rest and regenerate.

This finding adds further support to the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis, which posits that sleep is a mechanism that ensures overall brain health. The study was published in the journal Nature.

One of the study’s authors, biologist Jason Rihel, explains: “While the function of sleep remains mysterious, it may serve as a period of shutdown when connections in the brain can be weakened in preparation for a new day and new learning.”

The researchers studied the synaptic activity of zebrafish, whose brains are relatively easy to observe and analyze. They found that the fish’s neurons made more connections during the day and lost them during sleep...<<<Read More>>>...