REM sleep paradox: Dreaming may drain the brain’s energy even as fuel supply rises

A study of sleeping mice found that brain blood volume and a fuel-related compound rose around REM sleep, while ATP in neurons fell. The findings suggest that the dreaming brain may face high energy demands, though the reason for the ATP drop remains unclear.

一项针对睡眠中小鼠的研究发现，快速眼动睡眠前后，大脑血容量和一种与燃料利用有关的物质上升，神经元中的ATP却下降。这表明做梦时的大脑可能需要大量能量，但ATP下降的原因仍不清楚。