Dreams turned off and on with a neural switch

In dream or REM sleep, brain activity is more like awake than non-REM activity, and muscles are paralyzed. Various regions of the brain affect REM sleep, but neuroscientists have found a group of neurons in the medulla that seem to play a key role. Activating them makes mice go immediately into REM sleep, while inactivating them abolishes it. REM control could be useful for researchers studying the function of sleep in animals.

Originally published at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151015120128.htm