How sleep helps process emotions

Scientists have figured out in miceResearchers have determined how the brain sorts emotions during sleep in order to reinforce accumulated positive emotions and weaken the accumulation of negative ones.DiscussHow Sleep Helps Process Emotions

REM sleep is characterized by a high number of dreams. Various emotions are reactivated during this phase, but how and why was unclear. The research team provided insights into how the brain helps to increase positive emotions and reduce negative or traumatic emotions during REM sleep. , and others associated with danger. They then recorded neuronal activity in the mice's brains during sleep-wake cycles. You need to know that neurons consist of a cell body (soma) that integrates information coming from dendrites and sends signals to other neurons through axons. The results of the study showed that cell somas are “silent” while the dendrites are active. This decoupling is important because strong dendritic activity allows the encoding of both danger and safety emotions. The brain allows you to distinguish between safety and danger in the dendrites, but blocks the overreaction to emotions.

According to the researchers, the coexistence of both mechanisms is beneficial for the stability and survival of organisms.


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