Picture of the month

During sleep, the brain processes memories and clears out metabolic wastes. Functional MRI can detect the increased brain activity (orange areas) during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in a pigeon. Simultaneously, the flow of cerebral spinal fluid decreases. This might impede waste removal, as Niels Rattenborg‘s research suggests.

Research Group Avian Sleep
© Gianina Ungurean