New research sheds light on how running and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhance communication between the left and right cerebral hemispheres.
A first-of-its-kind study in rats and mice conducted by Omar Ahmed's Lab at the University of Michigan found that when a laboratory mouse or lab rat runs quickly on a spinning wheel, its left and right cerebral hemispheres commence rapid-fire communication on a specific electrical frequency (140-Hz rhythms) within a single theta cycle.
The researchers also found that when lab animals who run on a spinning wheel during waking hours enter a REM sleep phase, their left and right brain hemispheres communicate on the same 140-Hz frequency. These findings (Ghosh et al., 2022) on how running and REM sleep facilitate better interhemispheric communication between "left brain-right brain" were published on July 5 in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports.
