How the Brain Controls Sleep
A Science Article Analysis Based on the Article
Date of Article publication: Oct. 13, 2015
Author/Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Analysis by: Jessica Vela
Author/Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Analysis by: Jessica Vela
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The brain is either awake or asleep. MIT neuroscientists have discovered that this may not be the entirety of the case, research has found that a brain circuit is able to trigger regions of the brain to sleep-or become less alert, while the rest of the brain remains alert. The origin of the source for this division is found in the brain structure known as the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) which first gives out signals to the thalamus, then sends the signals to the brain’s cortex, inducing pockets of the slow, oscillating brain waves with the characteristic of deep sleep. Sleep fills the brain with slow waves. TRN may also be the key to what happens in the brain when sleep-deprived people experience the brief sensations of “zoning out” while they are trying to keep awake. By conducting an experiment with sleep-deprived animals, results found that sleep-deprived animals exhibited slow waves in parts of their brain while still being awake, suggesting the brain is also able to control alertness at a local level even with some drowsiness. The TRN surrounds the thalamus like a shell, acting as a gatekeeper for information entering the thalamus, which then sends information to the cortex for further processing. The research was further conducted with mice, by weakly stimulating TRN in awake mice, slow waves appeared in a small part of the cortex. After increasing simulation, the entire cortex showed slow waves. After the slow waves were induced across the cortex, the animals started to behave with drowsiness; decreasing movements with low muscle tone. TRN is able to fine-tune the brain’s control over the local brain regions, creating or reducing slow waves so those areas can communicate with each other or inducing areas to become less alert when the brain is drowsy. This serves as an explanation to what happens when humans are sleep-deprived and momentarily zone out without really falling asleep-part of their brain is still alert. This drowsiness, however, is a transition to sleep for the brain even if you are struggling to keep awake. The TRN is rich in synapses, so this site would most certainly be part of sleep control and alertness.
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This article was picked as a contribution to establish an understanding of what sleep really is and how the brain controls it. The brain in general is a very interesting organ from which the human consciousness emerges from, consciousness itself is very interesting-hard to explain what it truly is. Apart from the being awake, the body still seems to be conscious during sleep, occasionally drifting into dreams-another state controlled by the brain which was not mentioned in this article. The article is supporting a better understanding of how the brain controls sleep by mentioning that sleep-deprived people can momentarily experience a “zoning out” feeling, unconsciousness is involved because the person at the moment is not conscious, just as they are also not with sleep. This is because slow waves involved with sleep are reduced brain activity, though in dreams brain activity is actually relatively more active than when one does not dream. With information about TRN, this science article has helped understand the control of the brain over sleep and especially consciousness, which is alert even during when we are not aware of it.
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The article _How the Brain Controls Sleep is important to the world of today as the new leading research can help researchers to design new advanced medicine creating anesthetic drugs that may be more similar to natural sleep. TRN is probably a site of action for many anesthetic drugs since it has a lot of synapses, so having an understanding of TRN and how the brain uses it to control states of sleep and consciousness can unleash new technological discoveries that will benefit the field of medicine for the world of today and the world of the future. Not only is knowing how the brain controls sleep important, but other ways that the brain is able to control several parts of the body are important as present neuroscientists are trying to understand the functions of the brain that govern our bodies, life and actions. There are still many objectives that are unknown and with the study of how the brain controls bodily functions and even consciousness, the psychological, neurological and other medical fields will be able to benefit and improve society.
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Work Cited
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "How the brain controls sleep: Brain structure generates pockets of sleep within the brain." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 October 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151013182735.htm>.
*The sources of the pictures are viewed by clicking on them.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "How the brain controls sleep: Brain structure generates pockets of sleep within the brain." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 October 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151013182735.htm>.
*The sources of the pictures are viewed by clicking on them.