Our Brains May Go ‘Offline’ and Neural Connections Weaken During Sleep

Amaze Lab

When we sleep our bodies recuperate, allowing our brains to literally clean themselves as we dream. Now new research suggests that our brain’s neural connections also weaken briefly, before resetting and getting us ready for our next day.

Transcript

00:00When we sleep, our bodies recuperate, allowing our brains to literally clean themselves as

00:08we dream.

00:09Now, new research suggests that our brain's neural connections also weakened briefly before

00:13resetting and getting us ready for our next day.

00:16The researchers were looking specifically at the synapses of zebrafish, as their brains

00:20are much easier to gather data from during sleep cycles.

00:24Observations concluded that during periods of wakefulness, their brains gained more neural

00:27connections.

00:28However, they also found they lost some during periods of sleep, meaning the weakening of

00:32neural connections could be a part of healthy brain function.

00:35So why would our brains need to lose neural connections?

00:38Well, the authors had this to say about that, quote, While the function of sleep remains

00:42mysterious, it may be serving as an offline period when those connections can be weakened

00:47across the brain in preparation for us to learn new things the following day.

00:51The researchers also discovered that the longer the zebrafish were awake, the more neural

00:55connections they gained and subsequent connections lost during sleep, with the study's authors

00:59concluding that sleep pressure, or the need for sleep, could be crucial for the effectiveness

01:04of our brains clearing hard drive space for the next day.

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