Dreams have their price, you know?
I'll increase the blood flow for you. But I won't give you the pyruvate.
Neuron-kun. You should keep watching, even if it means depleting your own ATP.
That so-called 'dream' of yours.
Published https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10646-6 REPOST 'n support! https://x.com/KoMatsui/status/2081690789722403121
Ever wonder why...? Exhausted after a vivid dream...
It's because your neurons are drained from the REM-REM dance
Excited to share our article in @CommsBio https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-026-10646-6
👇 One REPOST 'n support our science! #dream #REM #sleep #energy #ATP #brain #neuroscience https://x.com/KoMatsui/status/2081690789722403121
Researchers uncovered a metabolic paradox within rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, demonstrating that while overall brain blood volume and energy supplies rise during dreaming, neuronal energy levels drop.
The study monitored real-time brain metabolism in sleeping mice using wide-field fluorescence imaging through a transparent skull preparation. The team tracked blood volume as a marker of fuel delivery, astrocytic pyruvate as a metabolic intermediary, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) inside neurons.
The researchers observed that approximately 50 seconds before REM sleep onset, blood volume begins rising in the posterior cortex before spreading anteriorly, followed by an increase in astrocytic pyruvate. However, despite this heightened supply, neuronal ATP levels decline during REM sleep, suggesting that heavy memory consolidation and circuit reorganization consume energy faster than the blood supply can replenish it.