MADISON, Wis., Jan. 21 (UPI) — Contrary to the popular belief, the brain is busy consolidating information during sleep, the brain is actually shutting down, a U.S. study found.
Animal studies, published in Nature Neuroscience, found molecular and electro-physiological measures taken on rats showed the neurochemical processes underlying learning — synapses — actually weaken during sleeping hours.
The findings support the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis proposed by the study ‘s lead researchers Chiara Cirelli and Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They said that during sleep the synapses actually “downsize” in preparation for a new round of learning during waking hours.