New research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is once again reinforcing the human body's need for proper sleep. Researchers at the university have conducted test on rats regarding brain activity in tired and sleep deprived states. In these tests rats were kept awake four hours past their bedtime using various toys and new objects to keep them occupied. Their brain function was measured using a simple test which involved finding a sugar pellet.
The results showed that as the rats became more and more tired, their performance on the tests decreased steadily. Also during the tests the rats' brains were observed using EEG to map their brain function. This method provided evidence to support a new hypothesis that neurons in the brain shut off one by one and the individual becomes more tired.
"It's very worrisome. It means that even before we have obvious global signs of sleepiness, there are more local signs of tiredness and they have consequences on performance," says Chiara Cirelli, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison".This research showed that the neurons don't just shut off when the individual becomes overly tired. During sleep slow-wave activity appears in the brain as neurons in the cortex switch themselves off and go electronically silent. The research however, shows that neurons shut down over the course of the day. The neurons that are most active and do the most work throughout the day are the first ones to switch off when we get tired.
This study gives people yet another reason to get the recommended 8 hours per night as often as possible. By the time you are tired it is already too late to stop the neuron shut down pattern.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2011/04/sleep-deprived-brains-turn-themselves-off/1
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