{"id":31127,"date":"2025-10-29T18:39:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=31127"},"modified":"2025-10-29T18:39:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:39:14","slug":"how-brain-activity-and-energy-patterns-interact-during-sleep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/how-brain-activity-and-energy-patterns-interact-during-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"How Brain Activity and Energy Patterns Interact During Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">A new study by Mass General Brigham reveals how brain activity, energy use and blood flow interact during sleep, shedding light on sleep&#8217;s role in brain health and disease prevention.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A team of researchers from Mass General Brigham has unlocked new insights into the brain&#8217;s behavior as people fall asleep, uncovering complex changes in brain activity, energy usage and blood flow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The findings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-025-64414-x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature Communications, explore how different areas of the brain transition from wakefulness to non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, a critical phase for physical health, brain function and disease prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using advanced imaging techniques, the study reveals that during NREM sleep, regions of the brain responsible for movement and sensory input remain active and continue to consume energy, while areas tied to thinking, memory and self-reflection become less active. The blood flow to these areas also shifts, becoming more dynamic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis research helps explain how the brain stays responsive to the outside world even as awareness fades during sleep,\u201d corresponding author\u00a0Jingyuan Chen, an assistant investigator in the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, said in a news release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By implementing a tri-modal EEG-PET-MRI approach, combining electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor brain waves, functional MRI (fMRI) to track blood flow, and functional PET (fPET)-FDG to observe glucose metabolism, the investigation analyzed the brains of 23 healthy adults during brief nap sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers discovered that as sleep deepens, both energy consumption and metabolism decline, while blood flow becomes more dynamic \u2014 particularly in sensory regions that remain relatively active. Meanwhile, higher-order cognitive networks become less active, and the flow of cerebrospinal fluid increases. Collectively, these observations suggest that sleep facilitates the brain\u2019s waste-clearing processes while preserving responsiveness to sensory signals that might prompt awakening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chen highlighted that the discovery could offer \u201cnew insights into the mechanisms of neurological and sleep-related diseases,\u201d emphasizing the relevancy of understanding these fundamental processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The study&#8217;s findings validate the critical role of NREM sleep in maintaining brain health. NREM sleep is widely recognized for its regenerative properties, yet its detailed mechanisms and long-term impacts have been elusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The researchers emphasize that future research should involve larger and more diverse participant groups, along with longer and more comprehensive sleep recordings. They also plan to employ more precise techniques to measure brain metabolism and to more accurately differentiate between stages of sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:14px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.massgeneralbrigham.org\/en\/about\/newsroom\/press-releases\/research-shows-coordinated-shift-in-brain-activity-while-asleep\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Mass General Brigham<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A team of researchers from Mass General Brigham has unlocked new insights into the brain&#8217;s behavior as people fall asleep, uncovering complex changes in brain activity, energy usage and blood flow. The findings, published in Nature Communications, explore how different areas of the brain transition from wakefulness to non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, a critical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[468],"class_list":["post-31127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-mass-general-brigham"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A team of researchers from Mass General Brigham has unlocked new insights into the brain&#8217;s behavior as people fall asleep, uncovering complex changes in brain activity, energy usage and blood flow. The findings, published in Nature Communications, explore how different areas of the brain transition from wakefulness to non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, a critical&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31127"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31172,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31127\/revisions\/31172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}