Sometimes it seems the rat race never ends. Rats themselves don't take a break, even when they're sleeping! A study released last week suggests that rats have complex dreams about their everyday life, and they remember a lot more than researchers had imagined.
Scientists found evidence that sleeping rats have visions of the mazes they move around in during their waking hours.
By attaching special instruments to the rats, scientists measured brain waves while the rats were awake and asleep. The brain patterns of a sleeping rat closely matched those of the same rat when it was awake and running through the maze. They were so similar that researchers concluded the rats were dreaming of the maze. In fact, the researchers say they can pinpoint exactly what part of a maze the rat is dreaming of!
These brain waves are centered in the area of the brain that handles memory. Dreaming may help the rats memorize the complicated paths.
Because rats' brains are similar to human brains, scientists say this study could help us learn more about the human mind. "It's really opening a new door into the study of dreams," said Matt Wilson, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who worked on the project.