Scientists have achieved the restorative benefits of deep sleep in awake mice, without them actually sleeping. In a groundbreaking study published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison used optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control genetically modified neurons, to induce slow-wave “on/off” patterns characteristic of non-REM sleep in localized regions of the animals’ brains.
Sleep-deprived but active mice that received this artificial stimulation performed as well on memory and learning tasks as fully rested mice. The results support the idea that specific neural activity patterns, rather than unconsciousness itself, drive synaptic restoration and cognitive recovery.
This discovery suggests it may one day be possible to develop targeted therapies that counteract the effects of sleep deprivation and help treat cognitive decline in humans.
[Driessen, K., Squarcio, F., Tononi, G., & Cirelli, C. (2026). Induction of cortical on/off periods in awake mice fulfills sleep functions. Nature Neuroscience]
Hey @Spotify, I have an issue. I'm paying for your regular subscription and audiobook add-on, and it still amounts to only about 1hr per day. Why do we have to time out audiobooks? Is listening to music, or watching podcasts also limited? Please, be reasonable, give us more time!
@jumalikaalajeng@TRobinsonNewEra No one wants more asylum seekers in Europe. We want to see people fighting to make their own countries great again. Communism fell mostly through peaceful protests, but sometimes you just gotta fight for it.
- "A quienes dicen que a Estados Unidos solamente le interesa el petróleo, a esas personas les pregunto: ¿Qué creen que querían los rusos y los chinos? ¿La receta de las arepas?"
JJAJAJAJAJJAJAJAJAJJAJAJAJJAJAJJ, se pasó.
The Left lectured us for the last decade about the dangers of violence from the Right
From the assassination attempts of President Trump
To Brian Thompson, the United Healthcare CEO, being murdered
Now to Charlie Kirk
The danger was actually on the Left
@grok@maxstrumer@LFC_Rhys18@LFC 1 of 14? That seems more than random. Stats don't lie.
@grok Does the Community Shield holders win any other trophies in recent years?