# Parts of your brain can be asleep while you're awake



## twilyth (May 26, 2011)

OK, full disclosure, the study was done on rats, but they observed that parts of the rat's brain could be asleep while the rat appeared conscious.  However in tasks involving the sleeping part of the brain, the otherwise awake rats usually failed.

article



> Some parts of a rat’s brain can fall asleep even while the animal plays and seems wide awake, a new study shows.
> 
> Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and their colleagues in Italy kept rats up four hours past the rodents’ usual bedtime. Even though the rats stayed awake, electrodes implanted in their brains showed that some brain cells went to sleep while neighboring ones remained active, the team reports in the April 28 Nature.
> 
> ...


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## Easy Rhino (May 26, 2011)

I guess it's bedtime for me then!


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## micropage7 (May 26, 2011)

interesting, how we never realize that it sleep for a while when we are wake up


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## LifeOnMars (May 26, 2011)

Isn't this related to "Deja Vu" or did I already say that?


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## slyfox2151 (May 26, 2011)

LifeOnMars said:


> Isn't this related to "Deja Vu" or did I already say that?



no its not related at all.


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## Funtoss (May 26, 2011)

how can this beeee!!!? lol does this relate to zombies as well?  if it does then i think my partner is a zombie.. *hope she doesnt read this :L


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## LifeOnMars (May 26, 2011)

slyfox2151 said:


> no its not related at all.



That's wonderful, thank you.


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## tpupokey (May 28, 2011)

This isn't really new though is it? It's long been known that, for example, dolphins switch off parts of their brains in sequence in order to get sleep while remaining active (they in essence never really have to sleep). 

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this translated to humans in part at least.


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