A new study has shed light on our brain’s mechanism for waking us up from intense daydreaming.
Daydreaming is completely healthy human behavior and no doubt one we’ve all experienced in some form. Daydreaming about a potential crush is by far the most enticing, but there’s no shame, we’ve all been there.
Here’s the science behind daydreaming
Have you ever wondered how you snap back to reality after daydreaming about the special person in your life? Well, researchers at the Boston Children’s Hospital have an answer for you.
Publishing their findings in the Nature Journal, Jordan Farrell and his team pinpointed the cause as the dentate gyrus portion of the brain, which is part of the hippocampus.
“We have found a brain mechanism for breaking up periods of mind wandering and realigning the ‘cognitive map’ back to reality,” explained Jordan Farrell, PhD, an investigator in the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center.
It is well documented that our brains experience what is called a “sharp-wave ripple” when replaying past events. However, Farrell and his team noticed synchronized spikes of firing in the dentate gyrus that are not well-researched.
By analyzing data obtained from mice, the team realized that the spikes occurred when the brain was in daydreaming mode.
“The brain is toggling through these two states,” Farrell said in regards to dentate gyrus spikes and sharp wave ripple.
The research has further applications
Though interesting information by itself, the research has opened new avenues to explore topics like epilepsy and other neuropsychiatric disorders. Further research is now needed to see the connection between dentate spikes and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s.
“In people with epilepsy, the synchronous activity during dentate spikes could tip the brain into a pathological state,” Farrell argued. “The dentate spikes add an extra push to the system.”
