New research reveals parallels in the sleep patterns of octopuses and humans, indicating similar brain activity during rest.
The research team was led by Sam Reiter, who leads the Computational Neuroethology Unit at OIST. The team also comprises Dr. Leenoy Meshulam, a statistical physicist at the University of Washington, and co-first authors Aditi Pophale and Dr. Tomoyuki Mano from OIST.
The researchers also observed that preventing the octopuses from sleeping or disrupting them during active sleep caused the octopus to enter the active sleep stage earlier and more often. This compensatory behavior established that the active stage of sleep was essential for the octopuses to function well.
These sleep spindles are believed to aid in memory consolidation. Using a cutting-edge microscope developed by Mano, the team concluded that these spindle-like waves occur in brain regions associated with learning and memory in octopuses, suggesting a similar function to humans. They found that the octopuses cycled through the same skin patterns they use when hiding from prey or camouflaging.
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