-- BarkPooch.com, a website dedicated to dogs and dog owners, launched a new report on the recent research behind dog dreams. The online resource offers dog owners an accessible overview of recent studies at the MIT and other institutions which suggest that dogs and other animals re-enact their real-life experiences during their dreams.
The full report can be found at https://barkpooch.com/this-is-why-research-suggests-dog-dream-about-real-things-theyve-experienced-just-like-humans.
Dog owners know that their dogs dream – some shake, yelp or bark while sleeping – but the content of their dreams has largely remained a mystery until now.
According to the BarkPook.com report, a recent study at MIT’s Center for Learning and Memory has found that, while dreaming, rats activate the same cerebral patterns that they have activated while running a circular track, earlier in the day.
Scientists hypothesized that the purpose of re-activating the same neuronal circuits related to running on the track had to do with long-term memory formation: rats would thus practice running through the maze in their dreams, so that they can perform the task better while awake.
In this regard, dog dreams are not unlike human dreams – they’re related to the formation of cognitive representations and re-enacting conscious experiences.
Considering the importance of dreaming, dogs who sleep more seem to experience better overall wellbeing.
According to the report, “dogs need to have deep sleep just enough to experience REM sleep which is also associated with their health. Studies conducted in 2016 on sheltered dogs found that dogs are happier and healthier if they sleep more in the day. The evidence found in this study proves that animals are thought to have complex dreams which are of memory formation.”
The report is part of the website’s commitment to providing informative and entertaining news stories, reports and other resources on dog care, health and lifestyle.
Interested parties can find more information by visiting the above-mentioned website.
Release ID: 88894873