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Opinion: The Biological Function of Dreams
Opinion: The Biological Function of Dreams
The scenarios that run through our sleeping brains may help us explore possible solutions to concerns from our waking lives.
Opinion: The Biological Function of Dreams
Opinion: The Biological Function of Dreams

The scenarios that run through our sleeping brains may help us explore possible solutions to concerns from our waking lives.

The scenarios that run through our sleeping brains may help us explore possible solutions to concerns from our waking lives.

sleep

Opinion: The Biological Function of Dreams
Robert Stickgold and Antonio Zadra | Dec 1, 2020 | 3 min read
The scenarios that run through our sleeping brains may help us explore possible solutions to concerns from our waking lives.
Scientists Engineer Dreams to Understand the Sleeping Brain
Catherine Offord | Dec 1, 2020 | 10+ min read
Technologies such as noninvasive brain stimulation and virtual reality gaming offer insights into how dreams arise and what functions they might serve.
Astrocytes, Not Just Neurons, Play a Role in Sleep
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 24, 2020 | 4 min read
In mice, the brain’s main glial cell type exhibits distinctive patterns of activity across the sleep-wake cycle and influences the response to sleep deprivation.
Poor Sleep Linked with Future Amyloid-β Build Up
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 11, 2020 | 3 min read
Accumulation of the protein was more likely to be found in the brains of people who slept less well years earlier, according to a new study.
william dement stanford sleep disorders medicine
Leader of Sleep Science William Dement Dies
Kerry Grens | Jun 24, 2020 | 3 min read
The Stanford University researcher charted the human sleep cycle and characterized numerous sleep disorders.
Adult-Born Neurons Strengthen Memories While Mice Sleep
Ruth Williams | Jun 4, 2020 | 3 min read
The activation of young brain cells in adult mice is necessary not just for forming memories, but consolidating them during rapid eye movement sleep, a study shows.
Variants in Water Channel Gene Tied to More Restful Sleep
Abby Olena, PhD | May 12, 2020 | 4 min read
The gene, aquaporin-4, is critical in rodents for the cerebrospinal fluid bath the brain gets during sleep. It’s now also tied to slow wave electrical activity during deep sleep in people.
Neuroscientist Phil Haydon Sets Sail to Talk About Epilepsy
Ashley Yeager | Feb 19, 2020 | 6 min read
After an accident as a teenager, he developed the disorder. He then studied the brain to better understand his own seizures, and now plans to sail around the world to show others with the condition how to push their limits.
Rising Temperatures Expected to Spur More Early Births
Ashley Yeager | Dec 2, 2019 | 2 min read
From 1969 to 1988, 25,000 infants were born early each year as a result of hot weather, and with global warming pushing temperatures higher, more babies will be at risk for early birth.
Sleep Study in Antarctica Explores Role of Cultural Differences
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Dec 1, 2019 | 4 min read
Habits such as napping might influence how humans cope with extreme environments, such as those at a polar research facility in winter.
c. elegans sleep microfluidics
Microfluidic Chambers Trigger Sleep in C. elegans
Alejandra Manjarrez, PhD | Nov 19, 2019 | 4 min read
This newly described behavior occurs spontaneously, but can be modulated by food availability, temperature, and the size of the chambers.
Waves of Fluid Bathe the Sleeping Brain, Perhaps to Clear Waste
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 31, 2019 | 3 min read
During deep sleep, rhythmic pulses of cerebrospinal fluid are coupled with slow waves of electrical activity and fluctuating blood levels in the human brain.
CBD Linked to Sleep Disturbances in Adolescent Rats
Emily Makowski | Oct 23, 2019 | 4 min read
The animals showed changes in both slow wave and rapid eye movement sleep.
rat sleep delta wave memory consolidation cortical neuron activity
Cortical Neurons May Consolidate Memories During Slow Wave Sleep
Emma Yasinski | Oct 18, 2019 | 3 min read
Scientists previously thought cortical neurons remained silent during delta waves, but new evidence from rats shows some cells fire in a pattern reflective of memorizing a task.
NPSR1 Variant Linked to Less Sleep in People: Study
Emily Makowski | Oct 16, 2019 | 2 min read
“Short sleeper” mice engineered to have the same sequence in the gene sleep less but show the same performance on memory tests as animals that sleep a normal amount.
Could Brain Activity During Sleep Be a Biomarker for Alzheimer’s?
Ashley Yeager | Oct 1, 2019 | 2 min read
Changes in brain waves while snoozing correlate with accumulation of tau and amyloid-β, suggesting that the neural activity disruptions could clue doctors in to early development of the disease.
Christian Guilleminault stanford sleep center
Prolific Sleep Researcher Christian Guilleminault Dies
Sanjeet Bagcchi | Aug 6, 2019 | 2 min read
He was involved in the first identification and classification of sleep disorders and outlined protocols for the diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea.
Karaoke-Sleep Study Links Disrupted REM With Poor Memory Processing
Katarina Zimmer | Jul 11, 2019 | 5 min read
An unusual experiment suggests that interrupted REM sleep can interfere with the amygdala’s ability to process emotional memories overnight—in this case, the distressing memories of listening to oneself sing out of tune.
Sleep Is Critical for the Zebrafish Brain to Repair DNA Damage
Catherine Offord | Mar 6, 2019 | 2 min read
Neurons can only efficiently fix genetic injuries when the animals are asleep.
Sleep Deprivation Hardly Harms Fruit Flies
Kerry Grens | Feb 21, 2019 | 2 min read
Some individuals sleep just minutes a day. And keeping flies awake does not have untoward effects on longevity.
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