An innovative study of the Cornell University, published in the magazine Naturereveals how the brain of mice organizes and stores memories during sleepOpening the way to advances in the treatment of brain diseases and even in the development of artificial intelligence.
The research, led by Azahara Oliva, accompanied genetically modified mice during sleep, using a technique that allowed researchers to observe the brain activity of animals by analyzing the size of their students.
How does the brain work at night?
The team carried a special helmet with a camera and a mirror to control the students of the mice, while the electrodes implanted in their brain allowed to process brain and interrupt the formation of selective memories.
The animals were placed in a cheese maze where they learned to find a hidden reward. By establishing a different second way, researchers were able to differentiate between ancient and new memory.
The results showed that the brain works in different tasks at each sleep stage: while the pupils are dilated, the brain retains ancient memories; When they are hired, new memories are incorporated.
This discovery is essential to understanding how the brain avoids interference between new and old memories, a common problem in digital neural networks that feed artificial intelligence. According to Oliva, this is the first time that scientists have precisely identified the type of memory that the brain consolidates at each stage of sleep.
Scientists also found that suppressing neurons responsible for memory formation during the student’s contraction phase, mice could not find the treatment again when they wake up. However, when the suppression took place during the student’s expansion phase, the animals recalled the path, which indicates that the memory formation process had not been interrupted.
This research reveals that the brain separates the tasks of processing new memories and the consolidation of existing ones, preventing them from interfering with each other. The team believes that their findings are relevant to humans, as mice share genetic and biological similarities with us.
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The implications of health research
The results of the study can lead to advances in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and disorders such as post -traumatic stress. In addition, research can contribute to the development of more efficient artificial intelligence, which is learned similarly to the human brain.
According to researchers, this study is a significant breakthrough in sleep and memory understanding, with the potential of improving human health and increasing the development of artificial intelligence.
