The dreams of pigeons while resting have been studied
Scientists from the Ruhr University and the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence studied what pigeons dream about while resting. The findings of the work are published in the journal Nature Communications.
It is known that in humans during REM sleep, brain metabolism decreases, and waste is eliminated due to the flushing of cerebrospinal fluid through the ventricles of the brain. It is likely that this process helps the body remove toxic protein deposits from the brain, such as those associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Related materials:The spontaneous emergence of all living things has been proven 7 March 2017Cotton dropsThe origin of life was explained without the participation of GodMay 2, 2017To determine whether such processes occur in birds, the authors used infrared video cameras and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to record the sleep and wakefulness of 15 pigeons, which were specially trained to sleep under experimental conditions. This made it possible to observe whether the eyes are open or closed, their movements, changes in pupil size, as well as to obtain data on the activation of brain regions and on the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
The results showed that during the REM sleep stage, the pigeons activated those regions of the brain that are responsible for visual processing; analyzing the movement of the animal during the flight; as well as areas that process signals from the body, including wings.
The researchers speculate that birds, like humans, dream during REM sleep and may experience flight and emotion in their dreams. This is supported by the fact that the pupils of birds contract rapidly during REM sleep, similar to what occurs during courtship or aggressive behavior while awake.
In addition, it was possible to fix that in pigeons the flow of cerebrospinal fluid increases in the stage of deep sleep. However, during REM sleep, increased blood flow to the brain, which supports increased brain activity, can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid from the ventricles to the brain. This suggests that REM sleep and its functions may occur by removing waste products from the brain.
