What do you think happens while you dream? According to new published research in the journal Nature Communications, the brain activity that occurs when we dream is surprisingly similar to when we are awake and taking in visual images, or as PsyPost puts it, our brains may be seeing dreams.
Researchers from Tel Aviv University reviewed data after recording activity from within the brains’ of their study participants with epilepsy. As patients with epilepsy that can’t be controlled with medication already have electrodes surgically placed within their brain to monitor epileptic activity, the research team took advantage of the electrodes implanted in the temporal lobe –an area of the brain associated with visual awareness.
Brain activity was compared under 3 different conditions to determine if brain behavior that we experience at night is more similar to visual processing or physical activity when we are awake.
The results showed that the brain appears to be visually processing the world as we dream, compared to us physically moving around our nighttime adventures.
While much about dreaming remain unknown, new discoveries such as this one are made every day to bring us closer to understanding the mysteries of both sleep and dreams. Take look at some of the most noted dream theories, and let us know what you’ve been dreaming about lately!
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