The hippocampus is involved with memory. Perhaps the rats' dreams of running the maze are storing the memories of the maze in permanent memory.
People tend to remember things better if they sleep after learning them. Students who study in the evening and then get a good night's sleep usually retain more of what they studied than those students who cram all night and go to class without adequate sleep.
Is this the same learning technique as observed in the rats?
Another theory is that people use sleep to solve problems. Have you ever had something to solve, gone to sleep with the problem on your mind and awakened in the morning knowing the solution? How often have you said, "I'll have to sleep on it?"
Research into rats and dreams continues at MIT. It is hoped that the research will reveal how waking life affects dreams and memories.
But rats aren't the only creature being studied for sleep and dream information. Click through to Page Two and read about the birds.
