A baby’s first dreams: Mystery solved?

The scientists have based their findings on an analysis of the sleeping patterns of immature sheep foetuses.

Using sophisticated mathematical techniques for detecting patterns,they found cycles in the complexity of immature brain activity. Unlike sleep patterns in later stages of development,these cycles fluctuate every 5 to 10 minutes and change slowly as the foetus grows.

They studied sheep,an animal that typically carries one or two foetuses similar in size and weight to human foetus. The course of brain development is fairly similar in humans and sheep,lasting about 280 days in humans and 150 days in sheep.

They recorded electrical activity in the brain of a 106-day-old developing sheep foetus directly – something that had never been done before.

According to the scientists,while it is difficult to imagine what the foetus experiences during these cycles in terms familiar to adults,the patterns shed new light on the origins of sleep.

“Sleep does not suddenly evolve from a resting brain. Sleep and sleep state changes are active regulated processes,” team leader Karin Schwab said.

The findings could lead to a better of understanding of the purpose of sleep. It also provides a tool to study how the brain develops and to identify vulnerable periods in brain development when damage could lead to disease later in life.