Strengthening memory through dreams
2000/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
What does our mind do when we sleep? Why and why do we dream? Man has asked these questions for a long time, trying to find a cause to the world of our dreams every night. Now, for the first time, science has found the answer to these questions: we dream to better memorize the experiences of the day.
A team of researchers at Rockefeller University has investigated mice in order to know how the brain works during sleep and have discovered that mice with new experiences during the day have more brain activity during sleep.
It seems that in the brain of these mice a gene called zif-268 is activated that strengthens the neuronal relationship and, according to scientists, allows them to better memorize their experiences during the day. Mice that have stayed in their cages throughout the day, however, do not have much brain activity during deep sleep. It is clear, therefore, that the activity and dreams of the brain have to do with the consolidation of the memory of new experiences. Do you deserve overnight stays during the exam?
